


A Year at Skandia State

by ThefirstRanger



Category: Ranger's Apprentice - John Flanagan, The Brotherband Chronicles - John Flanagan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Christmas, F/M, Hal is Ace, Halloween, Modern AU, Ranger's Apprentice crossover, Texting, Thanksgiving, slowburn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:40:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 35,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24745483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThefirstRanger/pseuds/ThefirstRanger
Summary: It's junior year at Skandia State and the Herons are entered into the brotherband competition. Before they compete, Edvin meets Lydia in the nature preserve and soon pulls her into the crazy friend group that is the Herons. Of course, things get a little more complicated than that.
Relationships: Lydia Demarek/ Edvin (Brotherband Chronicles), Stig Olafson/Tecumsa
Comments: 39
Kudos: 26





	1. May

It was almost the end of the spring semester and Edvin was taking the chance to take one last walk in the nature preserve on the edge of campus. The nature preserve was one of the only places Edvin had found on Skandia State’s campus that he could actually be alone; he could go hours without seeing another soul, which meant it was weird when he saw a girl aiming a blow dart gun at a deer. That in and of itself was weird (but not too weird for Skandia State), but seeing another person in the wide expanse of forest was even weirder so of course he had to say something even if he’d probably get shot. 

"Uh, I don't think you're allowed to actually shoot the deer here." 

The girl twirled around, her dark braid flying in the air. She didn't seem surprised at his presence and she smirked at him. 

“I’m not actually killing the deer.”

The rather large blowgun in her hands said otherwise and she seemed to realize that when Edvin looked pointedly at it. This was how every horror movie got started.

“Yeah okay, I’m not killing the deer, but I am shooting them with trackers for a project.”

Edvin was pretty sure that this girl did not go to Skandia State because she was way too intimidating and no one at Skandia State would ever do anything like this. 

“I have some friends who work with the preserve and they didn’t mention any special projects.” He wasn’t sure why he was arguing with someone who had a bunch of blow darts, but here he was anyway. 

“I’m from Limmat College and one of the deer I’m already tracking made its way here so I thought I’d take the opportunity.”

This was sounding weirder and weirder by the moment. Limmat College, as far as Edvin knew at leat, was in the neighboring state. Granted, Skandia State was close-ish to the border, but Limmat was very far away. “Aren’t these types of projects supposed to be heavily supervised and have, you know, parameters?” 

“It’s,” The girl looked up at the sky, trying to find the right words. “...more of an independent project.”

“So… you’re just tracking deer for the fun of it? That's even worse; campus security is going to-” 

‘It’s not like your campus safety could catch me anyway,” She scoffed and leveled a glare at Edvin. “Not unless someone snitches on me.”

As she was saying all of this, she was packing up her stuff. Edvin had to admit she made a fair point. She looked like she ran for a living and he was pretty sure campus security had never encountered a blowgun in all their years. Actually, that might not be the case (campus safety had seen some Things with a capital T go down in the past years) but it would still be a weird encounter.

“Well, I try not to argue with people with weapons in their hands so your secret is safe with me.” 

She let out an exhale. “Good.”

“Can I at least know your name so I know who I’m not snitching on?” 

“You’re really bad at not snitching. Can’t snitch on me if you don’t know my name.” She tapped her head and Edvin had to stifle a laugh.

“I guess you’re right. My name is Edvin by the way.” He had no idea why he had just offered the dart wielding girl his name; it sounded like a bad idea, but he couldn't help it.

The girl smiled at him and he really wanted to ask her for a cup of coffee or tea, but something stopped him. 

“Anyway, I should be heading back now. My grandfather will be waiting for me. We're visiting some family friends in town.”

Edvin checked his watch and saw that it was almost 5. He was going to be late for team dinner if he didn’t get a move on. 

“I should head back too. Well, it was nice to meet you even if you are breaking about a million laws right now." 

The girl laughed, clearly not giving him a different response, and disappeared into the woods. Edvin had to laugh as well. It was all so absurd and would make a good story, but Edvin didn’t think he would tell anyone about this encounter. Bodily harm notwithstanding, there was something about this afternoon that seemed special.  
~  
**The Boneless Herons**  
**Hal:** it's the last sophomore team dinner. Where is Edvin?  
**Jesper:** maybe he got lost in the preserve  
**Ulf:** Edvin would never get lost in the preserve  
**Ulf:** I think he got taken by jolly goblins  
**Wulf:** What in the name of Gorlog's stinky left pinky toe are jolly goblins???  
**Stefan:** obviously he meet a mysterious stranger who whisked him away to a dangerous land  
**Edvin:** I'm in this groupchat too you know  
**Ingvar:** glad you aren't dead  
**Stig:** just late for dinner  
**Edvin:** ok ok


	2. August

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edvin and Lydia meet again and the Herons go on a trip to Ikea.

The summer passed uneventfully. Edvin had an internship with the local Hallasholm hospital to keep him busy and Hal kept everyone busy with plans for the Brotherband competition next spring. Hal wasn’t letting everyone in on all the plans, but Edvin knew that the boat was going to be unlike anything Skandia State had seen before. It would be genius if they could get it built in time. 

It’s good to be back on campus after a restful summer and a routine starts to emerge. Wake up early for rowing practice, eat breakfast, practice, go to class, lunch, homework, dinner, and finish off the day with normal floor antics. It was great for Edvin and virtually nothing had changed from sophomore year aside from an increase in the workload he had for his nursing classes. The Herons had gotten a floor in an upperclassman dorm to themselves and had reverted back to old habits. Jesper had copies of all their keys by the third day and Ingvar had already thrown a bucket of water at Ulf. Everything was back to normal and Edvin was in his room trying to drown out the nightly duets of Stefan and Wulf when the groupchat started to blow up.

**The Boneless Herons**  
**(Gi)Ant-man:** u lads mind if I bring a friend from one of my classes to hang after practice tomorrow  
**Mad Scientist:** what?? After practice is Heron time and we have to take a field trip  
**Mak-stig:** field trip? FiELd tRip?  
**Wolf 1:** where  
**Wolf 2:** if it’s another ikea trip I swear Hal….  
**Mad Scientist:**....  
**Mr mime:** NOT AGAIN HAL  
**(Gi)Ant-man:** u nearly got us kicked out last time. We shouldn’t go back again  
**Mad Scientist:** IT’S NOT MY FAULT THAT THEY DIDN’T LIKE ME DISASSEMBLING THE FURNITURE. THEY HAD THE PERFECT PARTS FOR THE HERON  
**First aid kit:** It’s a bad idea.  
**Pick ur pocket:** I’ll go with you hal if u pay for the meatballs  
**Wolf 2:** you and your meatballs man  
**Mak-stig:** no more ikea for Hal

**(** **Wolf 1** changed **Mad Scientist’s** name to **No more ikea for Hal** **)**

**No more ikea for Hal:** i hate you all so much  
**First aid kit:** We got off topic again. Ingvar, your friend can come.  
**No more ikea for hal:** only if they agree to go to ikea

**(** Several people are typing **)**

Edvin threw down his phone onto the beanbag chair, groaning softly. If Hal was going to drag them to Ikea in his deathtrap minivan, Edvin needed to take a break from his friends. Ikea brought out the worst chaotic tendencies in them and that meant Edvin would have to do some damage control. And worst of all, this would be the first impression of whatever person Ingvar was bringing. Whoever they were, they were going to hate all of them. 

He leaned off of his bed and snagged his phone to text Ingvar privately. 

**Edvin to Ingvar**  
**Edvin:** This is going to be a disaster and you know it.  
**Ingvar:** Nah lydia will fit right in. She’ll hold her own  
**Edvin:** You’re bringing a girl?? 

That was surprising. None of them had ever been exactly what one would call good with the ladies, romantic or platonic. Individually, yes, some of them were good, but when the Herons got together, it was an overwhelming mess of chaotic energy that pushed pretty much everyone away. Stig had a long distance relationship with Tecumsa, who he had met while studying abroad, but there weren’t really any other girls in their orbit, though not for lack of trying by Ulf and Wulf. There was Lotte and Nina, but they were more of Rollond’s friends than any of the Herons after that one disastrous date with Hal. 

**Ingvar to Edvin**  
**Ingvar:** It’s not like that. Lydia helped me with my taxes and got me a lot of deductions actually.  
**Edvin:** She sounds cool.  
**Ingvar:** She is. You would like her. Gotta go night class is starting 

Edvin groaned and turned to his coursework. If they were going on a field trip tomorrow, he’d have no time after practice to finish up the patient evaluations and Professor Fjerd would kill him if they weren’t finished by tomorrow night.  
~  
Practice was fairly easy, it was still early on in the season, but everyone’s shoulders were aching as they pulled up to the dock and started to unload. Thorn hadn’t gone easy on them today. 

Their coach yelled at them. “Put away the boat properly! Last time it nearly hit me!” 

“If only,” muttered Jesper to Stefan. Thorn heard them both and gave them a resounding whack on their heads with his prosthetic hook. 

“I heard that!” 

Edvin winced at the arguing, it was so unprofessional, and gestured his head toward Ingvar. 

"Do you want to help me take the boat in?" 

Ingvar nodded and went to lug the boat up onto his broad shoulders. Edvin barely had to do any lifting when his roommate helped. 

The shed was small, salty, and had barely enough to fit the entire team in there. It was one of Edvin's favorite places in the world. He took a deep breath of the weird dusty, salty air and exhaled. 

Ingvar looked at his roommate in amusement. "We can stop for a minute so you can take it all in." 

As nice as that sounded, Edvin couldn't allow himself an extra moment in the peaceful shed. Someone was joining them and he had no idea why he was so nervous. 

"We still have to put the boat away or Thorn will have a fit." 

The two boys hefted the boat onto the holding racks and leaned back to admire their work. There was no way it would fall down. 

Ingvar pulled his phone out his locker. “Lydia should be meeting us soon. I’ll send her a text.” 

He spoke into the phone carefully. Even with his souped up glasses, Ingvar preferred to use the voice to text feature for texting. 

“Practice is done; we are on the dock.” 

He shrugged and put the phone away. “She should be here in a couple minutes.” 

Ingvar was right. Barely a minute after he and Edvin walled back onto the dock, Lydia appeared. 

As soon as she arrived, Edvin recognized her. It was the girl from the forest, the one with the blow dart from last semester. She even had the same type of braid in. He couldn't help himself; Edvin's jaw dropped a little. The girl, Lydia apparently, had a similar expression on her face of disbelief. 

"Forest boy?" 

"Limmat?" 

Ingvar swung around to look at Edvin in silent confusion. 

“Wait, wait, wait,” Edvin shook his head. “you’re Lydia?” 

“Who else would I be?” 

“I thought you didn’t go here.” 

Lydia looked away for a moment, sadness coloring her eyes, and Ingvar broke in awkwardly. “Lydia transferred over the summer from Limmat University.” 

His tone of voice invited no further questions so Edvin let it drop with a quiet smile. The rest of the Herons looked on in confusion as the conversation hit them. 

<“Wait, how do you two know each other?” asked Ingvar, turning back around to face Edvin and Lydia. He had been pretty sure that his roommate and his friend hadn’t known each other. 

“We, uh,” Edvin wasn’t really sure if Lydia wanted him to tell everyone she was shooting deer in the nature preserve, but she smoothly broke in. 

“We met last year when I was doing a project in the nature preserve.” 

From the group, Hal could see Ulf nudging Wulf and Edvin blushing for whatever reason, but Hal had more important things to worry about. 

“Guys, stop talking and come on. We need to get to Ikea!” 

“Oh my gosh, shut up about Ikea Hal! We’re going with you and you can wait a minute so we can introduce Lydia to everyone.” Stig tossed the keys at his best friend a bit harder than necessary and Hal glared at him, but relented. Stig was right; he was being rude to Lydia. 

“Sorry Lydia. I’m Hal Mikkelson, captain of the rowing team.” 

Hal pointed to the rest of the team. 

“That’s Stefan, Ulf, Wulf, Stig, Jesper, and you already know Ingvar and Edvin apparently.” 

Everyone gave a wave and Lydia smiled back. 

“That's enough introduction for right now. We have to go!” 

Ingvar led Lydia along to a battered mini van in which Hal got in the front seat promptly. “Get in everyone!” 

“That’s a literal death trap.” Lydia had the same reaction upon seeing Heron III as everyone else did: disbelief with a tinge of horror. “You can’t all fit in there. It's impossible.” 

“Nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it.” Hal’s words would have been more effective if there weren’t five men squeezed into the back seat. “Come one, time’s a wastin!”  
~  
Edvin was squished between Ingvar and Lydia and he tried to make conversation with the silent girl beside him. The Heron III was going smoothly (or what passed as smooth in the decades old van) over the highway to Ikea. 

“How do you know Ingvar?” 

“We’re in the same geography class. I give him notes occasionally.” 

Ingvar nodded in confirmation. “She has good notes: clear handwriting and she can see the board bett-.” 

Lydia’s eyes widened as she cut Ingvar off. “Sorry Ingvar, but is he really trying to fit in there? Why?” Disbelief dripped from her mouth and rightfully so. There were two small semis in front of them and Hal was angling to get in between them. 

Hal was one of the best drivers Edvin had ever seen, but he tended to be a little risky, especially if Tursgurd or Rollond were around and he wanted to show off. 

Ingvar looked out the window and tapped Edvin on the shoulder. “It’s because Tursgurd is right beside us.” There was indeed a car speeding next to them that contained an illegal amount of people in the back seat and the driver looked like he was yelling at them. 

“That doesn’t answer my question at all.” 

“Hal’s nemesis is right beside us and even though it’s illegal, they’ll unofficially race each other.” 

Ulf butted in. “We always win, well except for that time we stopped on the highway to help Rollond when his truck broke down. But other than that, we win.” 

Hal pushed down even harder on the gas pedal, everyone except Edvin and Lydia whooping encouragement, and the Heron III managed to squeeze in between two semis, leaving Tursgurd behind. 

From the mirror, Tursgurd could be seen giving them a dirty hand motion and Ulf responded in kind before Stefan shoved him down. 

Lydia slumped down in her seat. “Is this what a cult feels like?” 

Edvin had no idea what to tell her.  
~  
After what had been a harrowing rest of the drive, Hal veered into the smallest parking space imaginable and expertly parked, the sides of the van less than an inch away from the other cars. There was no physical way they would be able to get out of the van without scraping the sides of the other cars. It was time for the first Ikea tradition. 

Ingvar shot a look at Lydia. Now that there was someone else in their group, he was starting to realize how embarrassing their Ikea traditions could be. Edvin already had his head in his hands. 

Hal was seemingly oblivious to their feelings as he announced, “Time for the sun roof!” 

Stig cranked the handle and the sun roof creaked open. Hal climbed up his seat and disappeared through the roof. Lydia could hear a slight thump and suddenly Hal’s face appeared in the rear window. 

“Come on you guys!” 

Ulf and Wulf clamored over the seats and Lydia came to realize that this was not some elaborate hazing prank. They really climbed out of their van from the sun roof. 

Edvin looked at Lydia, an apology already forming on his lips but stopped when she pulled herself up through the roof without a sound. A smile broke onto his face and he didn’t know why exactly. 

All the herons were assembled outside the van as they prepared to go into Ikea. Lydia swore someone was playing Ride of the Valkyries on a phone and Stig was rubbing Hal's shoulders like a boxer. 

"Let's go conquer Ikea!" shouted Stig and started to lead the charge, but Jesper stopped them. 

“Wait, we can’t forget the hats!” Jesper opened the trunk and threw out a pile of assorted wigs and hats. They caught the hats without a second thought, forgetting that they had someone else within their midst. Lydia already fit in so naturally with the group they didn’t feel the need to explain things. 

“This is it. This is how I die: in a dumb Ikea parking lot surrounded by a bunch of guys in dumb hats.” 

“Come on! You would definitely be able to beat up some of us before we got to you.” Lydia had to appreciate the truth in Stefan’s statement, but she couldn’t take him seriously with a cowboy hat on and a blonde wig. 

“Why are you doing this?” 

Ulf came up beside her, wearing a viking helmet. “It basically boils down to Hal nearly got kicked out of Ikea once,” 

“Actually several times,” interjected Stefan helpfully. Hal punched Stefan’s shoulder in retaliation; he didn’t like being reminded about that. 

“Anyway, if we wear disguises, the store manager doesn’t follow us around anxiously like we’re bringing the apocalypse with us.” 

“Screw him!” yelled Stig enthusiastically and set off a chorus of exclamations. 

They were at the entrance now and Hal called for a huddle. “Go in pairs, get the supplies, and if you get stopped, Thorn is the emergency contact, not me.” 

Ingvar nodded at Lydia and Edvin. “You two up for an adventure?” 

They arrived back at the van several hours later loaded up with bags and meatballs; Lydia was only slightly shell-shocked at what she had seen and none of them (except Ulf) had gotten kicked out so all in all, it was a decent trip.  
~  
**The Boneless Herons**  
**Firstaid kit:** Lydia was nice.  
**Mr mime:** is that all she was Edvin?  
**Firstaid kit:** Shove off 

**(Stefan to Jesper**  
**Stefan:** Edvin’s got a cruuush but he won’t admit it  
**Jesper:** duh did you see them at the dock and ikea? Ingvar was a total third wheel even if none of them knew it **)**

**(Gi)Ant-man:** is it alright if i add lydia to the group chat?  
**First aid kit:** Yes, please do.  
**Olf 1:** no she scares me  
**Pick ur pocket: eye emoji**  
**Mak-stig:** That was fast edvin  
**Olf 2:** yeah realllll fast eyes emoji  
**Olf 1:** Lydia scares me  
**(Gi)Ant-man:** ok adding her now  
**Mr mime:** wait  
**(Mr mime** changed **first aid kit’s** name to **dr.mcdreamy)**  
**Dr. mcdreamy:** I’LL KILL YOU STEFAN  
**Dr. mcdreamy:** YOU WON’T EVER KNOW PEACE  
**Dr. mcdreamy:** I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE  
**((Gi)Ant-man** had added **Lydia** to the chat **)**  
**Dr.mcdreamy:** I WILL RELEASE SMALLPOX BACK INTO THIS WORLD TO KILL YOU STEFAN. THE WORLD MAY BURN BUT I’LL TAKE YOU DOWN WITH IT  
**Lydia:** Is this a bad time?  
**Mak-stig:** No just some casual threats. A normal part of the day really  
**Lydia:** I’m cool with that. Who is everyone? 

**(Ulf to Jesper)**  
**Ulf:** Make her guess make her guess Edvin will have a fit  
**Jesper:** done. Plus i disabled the name changing feature for a bit  
**Ulf:** genius **)**

**Pick ur pocket:** you have to guess and we won’t give any hints  
**Lydia: eye roll emoji**  
**Lydia:** Mak-stig is Stig obviously, Giant-man is Ingvar because he added me, Olf 1 and 2 are Ulf and Wulf 

**(Edvin to Jesper and Hal)**  
**Edvin:** I know one of you disabled name changing features. Let me change my name and I won’t release smallpox back into this world. I’ll let you live.  
**Hal:** wasn’t me  
**Edvin:** JESPER **)**

**Lydia:** I don’t know what NMI4H stands for but it’s Hal and pick ur pocket and mr mime are stefan and jesper though I’m not sure which one is which  
**Lydia:** which leaves… 

**(Dr.mcdreamy** to everyone except **Lydia:** I WILL LITERALLY MURDER YOU ALL **)**

**Mr mime:** it leaves who??

Lydia looked up before she sent the text, her face flaming. Dr. mcdreamy was obviously Edvin but he didn’t seem too happy with the nickname even though it kind of suited him. 

**Lydia:** Dr. mcdreamy is Edvin, duh. 

**(Mak-stig** to everyone except **dr. mcdreamy:** We got him! **)**

**Mak-stig:** you are so right 

Lydia desperately needed to get away from this track of conversation so she went back to her tried and true method: threats. 

**Lydia:** Why are we threatening Stefan?  
**Dr. mcdreamy:** hgggghhh  
**Pick ur pocket:** We threaten Stefan daily  
**Lydia:** yeah that seems fair. I’ll help Edvin release smallpox into the world to kill you stefan  
**NMI4H:** she fits right in **proud tear face emoji**  
**Olf 2:** NEW NICKNAME I GOT IT 

****

**(Olf 2** changed **Lydia’s** nickname to **Killydia)**

**Olf 2:** do you like it?  
**Killydia:** I love it. 

And that was the end of that conversation. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The texts in parentheses indicate that they are happening at the same time as the main chats, but to individual and smaller groups. 
> 
> Who's who in the chat:  
> Hal: Mad scientist and No More Ikea for Hal  
> Stig: Mak-Stig  
> Ulf: Wolf 1  
> Wulf: Wolf 2  
> Ingvar: (Gi)Ant-man  
> Stefan: Mr mime  
> Jesper: pick ur pocket  
> Edvin: first aid kit  
> Lydia: Lydia and Killydia


	3. September

**Stig to Edvin**  
**Stig:** we need you to wrangle Hal back upstairs  
**Edvin:** can’t you do it? It’s a saturday morning- I’m studying  
**Stig:** bro you’re always studying it’s 9 and hal will throw me out of the engineering building if I come between him and the heron and I need the engineering building  
**Stig:** pls he’s been awake for the past 30 hours and he’s freaking me out. Help me man  
**Stig:** and he's wielding a hammer in the dorm basement. He broke a window  
**Edvin:** I’ll bring ulf and wulf  
~  
**The Boneless Herons**  
**Dr nurse:** I can’t believe you CHUGGED 3 REDBULLS AND FIVE CUPS OF COFFEE  
**Dr nurse:** I’m bring this up now after you’ve gotten sleep because I NEED TO YELL AT YOU  
**Makstig:** tell 'em Edvin  
**Bird boi:** I'm not proud of it  
**Bird boi:** but inspiration struck and i had no energy. I can't let inspiration go man  
**Wolfwere:** you looked like a mad scientist  
**Ulf:** you were making rocket shoes  
**Mimic:** rocket shoes?? Hmmm  
**Hookyhand:** you did WHAT?  
**Bird boi:** THORN STOP LURKING  
**Hookyhand:** YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE ADDED ME TO THIS GROUP THEN  
**Hookyhand:** HOW DO I GET IT TO STOP BEING ALL CAPS  
**Huntress:** who is this old man boomer????  
**Hookyhand:** I AM NOT A BOOMER WHO ARE YOU  
**Huntress:** I asked first. Rude  
**Hookyhand:** YOU'RE RUDE  
**Goliath:** Thorn is our rowing coach and Hal’s stepdad  
**Hookyhand:** WHO IS THE NEW PERSON  
**Ulf:** he's a grumpy coach too  
**Hookyhand:** I'LL GET YOU ULF  
**Huntress:** I'm Lydia  
**Huntress:** and that's wulf pretending to be Ulf  
**Hookyhand:** Lydia is my new favorite, sorry  
**Bird boi:** HEY  
~  
**Stefan to Wulf**  
**Stefan:** rocket shoes?  
**Wulf:** lol yeah I nicked em away from hal  
**Stefan:** where are they now? **eye emoji**?  
**Wulf:** you'll get them over my dead body  
~  
The coffee shop on campus was crowded as always, but somehow Edvin had managed to squeeze through the thirsty horde with his cup of tea and was about to slide out the door when he bumped into Lydia. Edvin quite literally bumped into Lydia, spilling his tea all over his shirt.

"Oh Gorlog!" 

Lydia started rubbing at his shirt, trying to get the coffee out. It wasn't working and she dropped the napkin with a huff of frustration. “Let me buy you a replacement. Can't do anything else about your shirt.” 

Edvin checked his watch; they still had enough time to grab another drink and make it to the emergency brotherband meeting Hal had declared. It was only September and Hal was already getting a little too into the competition. It was scaring Edvin a little, not that he would admit it. 

The line had lessened and it only took a minute for Lydia to reach the counter. 

“One black coffee and,” she glanced over at Edvin. “What did you have?” 

“Green tea.” 

“One green tea,” Lydia tells the barista. 

As they grabbed their drinks, Lydia waved at a young professor sitting at one of the armchairs, talking animatedly with a brunette next to him. Edvin recognized him as Professor Davidson from the history department. 

“Do you have classes with Professor Davidson?” 

Lydia looked at him sideways. “No, but Gilan’s an old family friend. He actually helped me transfer my credits this semester and get financial aid.” 

“Really?” Edvin still wasn’t sure why Lydia had transferred and he was afraid to ask. Lydia seemed so unwilling to talk about what had happened over the summer. Ingvar knew, but he wasn’t telling. 

“Yeah, something like that.” Lydia’s tone got evasive and Edvin dropped the subject. They went out the door and started to walk towards the engineering department. 

The silence was nice. Edvin didn’t get a lot of silence living with the Herons. He loved his friends, but sometimes he needed a moment to be able to hear himself think. 

He caught Lydia studying him as they walked and Edvin had to look away, her gaze was so intense. 

"Did you, uh, know drinking coffee is bad for you?" Edvin scrambled to find something, anything to say and that was what he landed on. 

Lydia raised an eyebrow and Edvin stammered out an excuse. "Not that I'm any better drinking caffeinated tea. I used to drink a ton of coffee before a professor got on my case about my excessive caffeine consumption." 

"I'm just teasing you." Lydia cocked her head. "What exactly is the brotherband competition? Y'all make it seem so important but no one's explained it to me.” 

“It’s this tradition where teams compete at the end of the year in a homemade boat race. Winners get a couple thousand bucks and eternal glory.” 

“And you guys are doing it?” Lydia seemed skeptical. 

“Hey, you haven’t seen us in action yet. We may not look like much but Hal’s a genius when it comes to sailing and we make a great team.” 

"I bet you do."  
~  
Most of the other Herons were already at Hal’s little corner of the workshop and if Lydia and Edvin noticed the looks they got coming in together, they ignored them. 

“Alright Herons, this is what we’ve been preparing for.” Hal rubbed his hands together in anticipation, a parody of an overeager inventor about to unleash his creation onto the world. 

“It’s what you’ve been preparing for,” shot back Stefan, his arms crossed. “You and Stig haven’t told us anything yet.” 

Hal looked a little bit repentant at that. “That’s on me. It’s taken a while to plan out everything and I didn’t want to get your hopes up.” 

"Just tell us already! I'm about to burst from suspense!" cried Ulf. 

Hal nodded at Stig who tore off the giant tarp sitting in front of them. 

"Ta-da!" 

In front of them was a large pile of wooden planks, arranged in some sort of fashion, though Edvin couldn't have said what fashion. 

"This is the Heron!" The pathetic pile of planks in front of them seemed more akin to a dodo bird than a heron.  
Even though they were known as the Herons, privately Ulf thought that naming another vehicle the Heron was going a tad overboard, but he wasn't going to say anything. Maybe he'd make a meme about it and send it into the Heron meme page that had sprung up. 

Jesper looked thoughtfully at the Heron. "She'll be ready to go in May?" 

There was no hesitation in Hal's nod. "She'll be ready." 

All the Herons nodded back; they trusted Hal. If he said the pile of wood in front of them would be seaworthy in May, they would believe him. He'd done miracles before and with everyone's help, Hal could do it. 

"The Heron will beat whatever Rollond and the Wolves and Tursgurd and the Sharks come up with. We'll beat them." Stig knew how much the competition meant to everyone; it meant a lot to him and he wasn't about to let them forget that. 

"I bet Tursgurd will buy his boat." 

"Let's give him some credit." Hal spat on the floor. "He'll make his boat but it'll probably be made out of cardboard." 

Ulf, Stefan, and Ingvar were all examining the planks and Edvin was running his hand over one of them. Lydia stood where she had started. This was obviously a special moment for the Herons. 

"We have to compete in the bed race, do that photo scavenger hunt, win at tug of war, and then win the sailing competition." Hal reminded everyone. 

It sounded daunting when Hal put it like that, but it just made the Herons even more pumped to compete. They were good at beating bad odds. 

"Are we sure that Tursgurd and Rollond are the only other team captains?" 

"Yeah, Nina was going to get a team together but they decided to do that spring mountain retreat instead." Hal looked relieved at that. Nina would have been a fierce competitor had she rustled up a team. 

Edvin shook his head. "Typical Nina. Why would she want to give up the opportunity to deal with Tursgurd hounding her when she could go on a vacation instead? " 

"I don't know why anyone would want to skip out on the brotherband competition." 

The buzz and excitement around the Heron started to die down and Stig's stomach rumbled. He ducked his head. 

"Can we go get something to eat? My stomach is gonna eat itself." 

Most of the team filed out, eager to get to Orange Chicken Thursday dinner, but Hal stood motionless and stared at the wood pile in front of him. Lydia paused on her way out the door and called out to the boys, "I'll be with you in a minute." 

She walked up beside him and they stood in silence for a minute, simply looking at the planks that would become a boat. There was one question that Lydia felt needed to be asked. 

"Why are you so determined to win the competition?" 

Hal's shoulders slumped down. "My dad died in a boating accident when I was young and, in college, he used to race in the brotherband competition and I want to follow in his footsteps. Also, Hallasholm tends to be a pretty insular community and my dad got some slack for marrying my mom from the rival town. I guess I feel like I have to prove myself for the both of us. Prove that I'm a "true" Skandian." 

Lydia knew exactly what Hal was going through; she had felt that all her life being raised by her grandpa in the judgy town of Limmat. However, she didn't quite know how to tell Hal that and so Lydia awkwardly bumped her shoulder into his. 

Hal seemed to get her meaning anyway and tears sprung up a little in his eyes. 

"Thanks Lydia. It's been a while since I've talked about my dad." 

She shot him a weak, wobbly smile which only served to make them both break down into tears. 

"You don't have to prove anything, Hal." Hal sniffled and then said shocking words. 

"You're a good friend Lydia." 

No one had ever said those words to Lydia before and she wasn't sure Hal should be saying them to her right now. She'd only known him for a few weeks and weren't friendships supposed to be developed over time until they unlocked each other's tragic backstories? 

**The Boneless Herons**  
**Stefan:** are Hal and Lydia crying???  
**Ingvar:** did you sneak back in?  
**Stig:** leave them alone  
**Wulf:** stop being a git  
**Ulf:** yeah stop being a git  
~  
Edvin doesn’t know when exactly it started, he and Lydia just slipped into an easy habit of studying together and drinking coffee and tea ever since the brotherband meeting. It was nice and thankfully since the first meeting, there weren't any more spills. 

“Can I ask a question?” Lydia blew on her coffee and sipped it, grimacing and setting it aside. Edvin noticed that she'd gotten a black coffee then added the tiniest bit of milk into it. 

“Shoot.” 

“How do you all know each other? I know you’re on the rowing team together, but y’all are very different people with very different personalities. There has to be something else to explain all the inside jokes.” 

Edvin leaned his head back. Lydia was right as usual. 

“In high school, we were paired up for this giant project sophomore year and then we ended up winning this weird prize, which meant we had to guard the school artifact.” 

Lydia interrupted here. “You had a school artifact?” Skepticism dripped out of her voice. 

“Yes, a priceless ball of amber roughly the size of my torso with an unidentifiable claw in the middle that has baffled paleontologists for decades. We've had multi-million dollar offers to sell the Andomal for science. It's also something that students occasionally guard as a prize. While we were guarding it, it got stolen by an alumni named Zavac and all of us were expelled.” 

Her eyes widened. “You’re kidding me. You've got to be kidding me. That's so stupid of them to expel you. It's obviously the school's fault.” 

"Hallasholm High isn't exactly known for their intelligence. Any way, we were literal outcasts for like a year and we tangled with minor criminals and we got framed for murder too by the same alumni who stole the Andomal. Long story short, we spent all of junior year in a madcap attempt to track the Andomal back down, which we did and retrieved it. I dunno, the bond we made while we were literal outcasts stuck with us. Plus, we are kind of overwhelming.” 

Lydia's eyes were bigger than the shields hanging up in the history building. "Did you just say you were framed for murder? By an alumni?" Her voice had gotten dangerously high and even. 

Edvin spread his hands. "Don't worry. Zavac's in a Scandinavian jail somewhere." He paused and looked at Lydia's face. Disbelief and righteous anger were waging a war and it looked like anger was winning. "I'll tell you the whole story another time." 

"So the brotherband competition is like your chance to be a team without the threat of getting framed for murder." Lydia had wisely decided she wasn't going to get anything more about the Andomal from Edvin and switched tracks. 

"I mean, Tursgurd could do anything, but I guess you're right. This time, we'll win." 

Lydia raised her coffee cup and Edvin brought his glass up to meet it. 

"I'll drink to that." 


	4. October

It’s October and Edvin can barely remember a time when Lydia wasn’t in their group. She fit in so naturally; from roasting Ulf and Wulf to going toe to toe in La Croix pong with Stig, Lydia was a Heron. And with becoming a Heron came the inglorious honor of getting insight into all the deep recesses of the other Heron's minds. 

**The Boneless Herons**  
**Lydia Demaniac:** Wait, what's everyone's major?  
**Beow-ulf:** you don't know our majors?  
**Lydia:** we skipped that part of friendship where we ask basic questions and went straight to Ikea raids. I don't know your last names but I know the dumb stuff like your favorite cereal mascot  
**Edvin:** I don't even know that  
**Stefan:** those chaotic cinnamon squares  
**Jesper:** the trix rabbit  
**Ingvar:** sam the toucan  
**Stig:** toby the tiger  
**(s)Hal(l) not pass:** are we ignoring the fact that stig just called tony the tiger toby?  
**Beow-ulf:** lol cap'n crunch was basically my father  
**Bae-oWulf:** OUR father modeled his life after cap'n crunch. Cap'n's like our grandfather  
**Edvin:** I... what... how.... you know what? Just forget I said anything  
**Lydia Demaniac:** Again, what's everyone's major?  
**Stig:** Respecting women  
**Ingvar:** batman  
**Beo-wulf:** youtube  
**Stefan:** minecraft  
**(s)Hal(l) not pass:** minecraft  
**Jesper:** w  
**Edvin:** Nursing and accounting  
**Bae-oWulf:** Minecraft as well  
**Lydia Demaniac:** I can't get a straight answer from you guys  
**Stefan:** AHHAHAHA no you cannot  
**Jesper:** lol not from me  
**~**  
The Herons were hanging out in the common room, which is not unusual. The only unusual thing was that Stig had his arm around Tecumsa, who was visiting for the weekend, and they were cuddling on the couch. Everyone else was either scrolling on their phones (Jesper, Stefan, Wulf), pretending to study (Lydia, Ulf, Hal) or actually doing homework (Ingvar and Edvin). 

"Are we doing anything for Halloween tonight?" Wulf's question made everyone look up in confusion. 

"I thought we were doing something, dunno what." Hal shrugged his shoulders and went back to staring at his blueprints for the Heron. 

"Eh, we'll wear our costumes and find something." That was good enough for the Herons and they went back to scrolling on their phones.

Tecumsa shook her head in disbelief. “Babe, did you not tell them?” She addressed Stig who couldn't meet her eyes.

Stig looked stricken with realization and guilt. “Oh yeah, yesterday Rollond invited the lot of us to his masked Halloween party tonight.”

A chorus of “What?” and “Why didn’t you tell us!” rang out and Tecumsa rolled her eyes with a smile on her face. This was typical Heron behavior.

“He said that all the costumes have to have a mask of some sort or to cover your face.” Ulf stared at Stig in confusion and Stig put up his hands in a “don’t ask me why” sort of gesture.

Ingvar thought for a second. “I think my costume will work. Edvin, the scrubs aren't going to cut it this year.”

“I’ve heard everyone’s costume. None of them are going to cut it.” As far as Edvin knew, baseball players and Erak and Svengal (Jesper and Stefan had an odd sense of humor) didn't wear masks.

“I don’t even have a costume,” shrugged Lydia. “You guys hadn’t said anything about a party.”

Tecumsa’s eyes bugged out and she leaped up off the couch, sending Stig crashing down onto a pillow. “You need a costume for tonight. We have to go shopping for one.”

Lydia smiled and Tecumsa tapped a finger to her mouth, her eyes narrowed in concentration. 

“I have some ideas. How do you feel about fake blood?”

“That’s a must.” The guys stood around and witnessed a new bond being formed, a bond that scared them just a little bit. 

Tecumsa pulled Lydia by the arm playfully. “Come on! Let’s get planning.”

“Wait, what?” Stig looked at his girlfriend, perhaps realizing that he wasn’t going to see her for the rest of the day. 

“See you at the party!” With that, Lydia and Tecumsa skipped out of the room.

The Herons looked at each other, dumbfounded. 

“What just happened?” asked Ulf. 

“I think Lydia stole my girlfriend away.”  
~  
There had been a massive scramble after Stig texted Rollond to clarify the details and Rollond had responded that everyone should try to wear costumes that hid their identities to make it more fun. Edvin had to admit it sounded interesting, but his doctor costume wasn’t going to cut. 

“Argh! I had the perfect costume picked out!” complained Hal. 

“Me too man.” Stig agreed sadly. Where were they going to find masked costumes in time? 

Stefan had fled from the dorm, saying that he had an idea and no one was allowed to follow him. Ingvar was hanging out in the lobby since his Batman costume had a mask. Jesper’s costume apparently had a mask too, so he was driving Ulf, Wulf, Hal, and Stig to the thrift store where they were going to find costumes. 

Edvin wasn’t convinced that he could find something in time and had opted to stay on campus. He supposed he could always wear a face mask, but Edvin was well aware of the fact that a nursing student dressing up as a doctor wasn’t the most creative costume. The Herons had given him grief for the past two years about it, but Edvin liked to stay on brand. What else would work? Nurses scrubs wouldn’t work, but maybe he could grab the skeleton from the lab for a costume or maybe something else from another class...

Suddenly inspiration hit him and Edvin jumped up from his chair. A grin across his face and he knew exactly which class he was going to steal from. Another thought hit him and Edvin realized that tonight was his chance to be anonymous and take a risk for once instead of being the responsible one. No one would know who he was. Ingvar looked at his friend questioningly.

“Ingvar, I might be late to the party tonight.”

“What? Why?”

Edvin could barely stop himself from smiling. “My historic plagues class suddenly has a lot of work to do.”

It wasn’t unusual for Edvin to blow off plans to study and being a part of the Herons had made Ingvar unaffected when it came to dramatic announcements that certainly meant the speaker had a dastardly plan in motion. And so Ingvar merely looked at his roommate, unaware that Edvin was planning on breaking into the history department.  
**~**  
The party was in full swing by the time Lydia and Tecumsa arrived. Lights were flashing and the music was thumping from a speaker on the mantle. The floor was a mosh pit of bodies, but Lydia was more interested in where the snacks were.

Rollond greeted them with a smile and a patriotic salute that fit his costume as Captain America.

“Lydia! Temcusa! Glad you could make it.”

"Thanks Rollond." Lydia had met Rollond a couple times before and she never knew what to make of him. He was so peppy and perfect, it threw her off a little. Honestly, Rollond probably was actually Captain America somehow; he was that wholesome.

“I like your costume, Lydia.”

Lydia looked down at the green dress she was wearing. 

“It’s not really a mask though, just makeup.”

Tecumsa and Lydia had gotten Kyoshi warrior costumes through means better left unsaid (Lydia maybe respected Tecumsa more than anyone else for the way she intimidated the condescending store clerk) and the better part of the afternoon and early evening was spent applying the thick coat of makeup to both of their faces. Lydia was no means an expert on putting on makeup much less stage makeup like this, but she did her best.The girls had spent the whole day trying to figure out proper costumes for the party. All Lydia had at her disposal were neutral colored clothes and too much camouflage and Tecumsa already had her Kyoshi costume. Lydia didn’t normally enjoy dressing up, but shopping around with Tecumsa was fun and now they matched.

Rollond laughed. “That’s okay. Half the people anyway aren’t wearing masks. Vali is bringing some more when they come. I’ll find you later and bring you one, although it’d be a shame to cover up the makeup.” 

With that, Rollond walked away and Tecumsa excitedly grabbed Lydia. “He was flirting with you!”

Lydia wrinkled her face. “No he wasn’t.”

“He barely even acknowledged me. And the whole “It’d be a shame to cover up the makeup”? That was smooth.” Tecumsa looked at the expression on her friend's face and wisely decided to drop the topic. 

“C’mon, let’s go find the snacks and the boys in that order.”

The snack table was easy to find and both the girls loaded up their plates with chips and cookies. It was easy to pick one of the Herons out of the crowd; the giant Batman stood a foot above the rest of the crowd and Lydia pulled Tecumsa over to the wall where Ingvar was standing. She wasn’t about to let Tecumsa go quite yet when Lydia knew practically nobody. 

“How’s the party Ingvar?”

Batman chuckled. “I guess the mask doesn’t help conceal my secret identity all that well.”

Lydia smiled up at her giant friend; he always took things in stride. "You are a bit tall." 

“Is Edvin here?”

“Nah. He said he had some homework to work on. He’ll probably be dressed as a doctor if he does come.” Lydia felt disappointment course through her. Who was Edvin to skip a party for homework on Halloween? Even Lydia wasn't that anti-social. And there was a part of her that wanted Edvin to see her in a dress.

“Have you found anyone else?” asked Tecumsa who was straining her head to search the crowd. 

“I’ve seen Hal and Stig a couple times.”

“What are they dressed as?”

“Stig’s got a pretty accurate viking costume on and Hal’s a pirate.”

“Please tell me he has an eye patch,” begged Tecumsa. 

“And a beard. Oh wait, I see them!” Ingvar pointed the boys out and Lydia and Tecumsa flagged down Stig and a grumpy Hal. Hal did indeed have a beard and a stuffed parrot on his shoulder. Tecumsa immediately took a picture with her phone.

"Delete that picture now." Hal tried to reach for her phone but Tecumsa stuck her hand high up in the air. 

"Are you going to sic your parrot on me if I don't?"

"Hah! Good one Tecumsa!"

At the sound of a new voice, Lydia turned and saw a velociraptor right in her face. She let out a shriek and her cup of soda went whistling through the air towards a hairy monster-looking thing standing right next to the dinosaur.

“Hey Lydia,” said the man-beast person and Lydia had no idea who it was under all the moss and hair. She told him as much and the man-beast let out a chuckle. 

“It’s Jesper. I’m dressed as Gorlog. Ya know, from the old tales.”

Lydia had not in fact heard the old tales, but she figured they were a thing at Skandia State. 

“Who’s the velociraptor?” 

“Wulf probably.”

“Probably?” 

“There’s a werewolf running around saying he’s Wulf but I doubt it.”

“So the velociraptor is either Ulf or Wulf?”

"I'm standing right here!" exclaimed one of the twins, but Lydia and Jesper ignored his pleas. It wasn't worth it to listen.

Stig grabbed Hal who was still trying to grab Tecumsa's phone. "You aren't going to get it from her."

"I know." Hal drooped until he saw the empty kitchen. "Stig, let's go grab some snacks."

"Tecumsa?" Several people ran up to Tecumsa and suddenly all three girls were squealing.

"It's been forever since we've seen you!" Tecumsa shrugged good-naturedly; it was a long drive to Skandia State. 

“Lydia, get in the picture!” Nina was using her long arms to get a good picture angle and right before she pressed the button, Lydia sidled in before the phone flashed. Nina showed the girls the picture. 

"We look good," supplied Lotte and Tecumsa hummed in approval. 

"A true girl gang that fights back." 

"Do you have an instagram? I'll tag you in it." This was directed to a startled Lydia. Nina and Lotte were full of more energy than Ulf and Jesper together, but it was a different sort of energy. 

"Uh, lydiademarek." Lydia couldn't remember the last time she had posted on her account. Maybe the paintball fight a year ago where she had thoroughly trounced Barat's team? Or maybe it was the picture of the first deer she had tagged as part of her ecology project? Either way, her account hadn't been used for a long time. 

"Perfect! I'll send you a request later tonight

Lotte looked Lydia up and down, like she was analyzing her, and smiled thoughtfully. "You should really join our spring soccer team. You look like you'd be great at it." 

Lydia hadn't played soccer on a team for several years, she had focused more on school and taking care of her grandpa, but being on a team again sounded like it would be good for her.

"I'd love to." Lydia smiled at Lotte who grinned back.

Stig and the boys returned with plates full of snacks and Nina and Lotte excused themselves to go find Anna and some other people. More time passed and a steady stream of friends and acquaintances were introduced and passed through. Lydia meet the entirety of the Wolves brotherband team and some of the Sharks, who she could already tell she didn't care all that much for.

Finally the werewolf who Lydia was pretty sure was Ulf found them and all the Herons were together. Well, they were mostly physically together. Stefan had left them once his turn at the karaoke machine had come up and no one could blame him. He had the pipes to actually make karaoke an enjoyable experience.

"The gang's all here!" shouted Hal, forgetting that Edvin wasn't there. Ingvar whispered in his ear and Hal grimaced. "except for Edvin. Sorry 'bout that Ingvar."

"He said he'd be coming a little later." Ingvar whipped his cape around him. "I don't know if he's here already though." 

“We didn't see Edvin anywhere. Don’t even know who he’s dressed as," supplied Wulf helpfully. 

Ulf nodded seriously but he just looked like a dog shaking its head with his werewolf mask on. "And we went all throughout the party."

Stig looked down at his phone to see if Edvin had texted in the groupchat. "I wouldn't worry about it. He's pretty bad at texting."

Everyone nodded. Edvin was known to ignore the group chat pretty frequently in order to study and "have a moment's peace" in his words.

"We'll go try and find him!" Ulf pulled a reluctant Wulf up to his feet, whispered in his ear, and then the twins ran off. 

Jesper rolled his eyes. "Yeah, they're probably going to flirt with girls."

"Yeah," "Obviously," "Was there any doubt?" all rang out. The group was in agreement that the twins would not be the ones to find Edvin.

"I'll go actually search for Edvin." Ingvar left before Lydia could follow and with his absence, the group started to drift apart. 

"Well I'm going to go snoop around for information about their boat or maybe take apart the toaster," Hal says and Lydia wants to smack him with her sword. 

"Rollond doesn't deserve-" 

Lydia was about to finish her sentence when Jesper butted in. 

"I'll join you! I brought my lock kit."

"Why do you have your lock kit?" asked Tecumsa.

"I never leave home without it." The implications of that statement was not something Lydia wanted to deal with right now. Hal and Jesper went off to Gorlog knows where and Lydia had half a mind to 

"Maybe you can go find Rollond!" As much as Lydia appreciated the fact that Tecumsa was trying to set her up, Lydia did not appreciate that it was Rollond with whom she was being set up with. 

“Don’t leave me alone!” begged Lydia, but Tecumsa gave her a wild grin and a wink and swept Stig onto the dance floor. There was no one Lydia knew around her except Stefan who was crooning into the karaoke machine which Lydia would rather take a dart to the face than do. 

Once alone, it hit Lydia that this was the first Halloween without her grandpa and it killed her mood instantly. Thomas Demarek would have wanted his beloved granddaughter to have fun at the party, but all she could think of was running house to house grabbing as much candy as possible with her grandpa, back when he could actually move. Tears started to well up and she quickly pushed through the tears and the crowd to find a quiet corner in the house away from everyone. 

Lydia found a spot on the second floor, but there was an angel snogging Sherlock Holmes occupying it. 

“Scram!" Lydia snarled at them and they quickly left, shooting her dirty looks as they went that she ignored.

She rushed to the bed and the tears came pouring out. Lydia reached her sleeve to wipe her eyes and it came back pristine. She stared in confusion until she remembered that Tecumsa had used super strength stage makeup. Great. 

Lydia wasn’t sure how much time had passed while she was crying when she heard someone else come into the room. They stood at the threshold, just waiting.

“Occupied,” said Lydia and she hated how the tears were obvious in her voice. 

The figure stepped forward a bit hesitantly and Lydia could see that it was a medieval plague doctor. The mask shone ghostly white in the dark room and Lydia felt vaguely relieved that it wasn’t another couple wanting to make out in here. 

"Are you alright? I heard crying on the way to the bathroom and…" The plague doctor trailed off as Lydia burst into another round of tears. 

"Um… there, there?" The plague doctor sat down beside her and awkwardly reached out a hand hovering above her shoulder, not sure if he was allowed to comfort her or not. 

This was the most awkward situation Lydia had ever been in and it only made her cry harder. This was the exact opposite of how she wanted tonight to go. It was supposed to be a fun night of dancing and friends, but here she was sobbing her eyes out in front of a masked stranger. The absurdity of it all made Lydia want to laugh and she let out a half sob-half laugh, leaning into the doctor. 

The plague doctor didn’t even bat an eye (though Lydia would’ve had no idea under the mask) and he put a hand on her back and started to talk. 

“Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out.” 

Slowly Lydia focused on his muffled yet familiar sounding voice and her breathing slowed. Soon enough the tears in her eyes were mostly dry and she pulled herself up. 

Lydia could feel an embarrassed blush spread across her face. No one at Skandia State had seen her this vulnerable yet; actually, now that Lydia thought about it, she hadn’t been this vulnerable with any of her friends. And here she was sobbing into the shoulder of a stranger who probably thought she was crazy. 

There was silence for a moment, but it wasn’t as uncomfortable as Lydia had thought it would be. The plague doctor leaned back a little. 

"I like your costume. The Kyoshi warriors were always some of my favorite characters." 

"Really? I feel like everyone likes the benders more.” Lydia winced. Her voice was hoarse, almost unrecognizable, and she sounded like something out of a horror movie but her new friend didn’t seem to mind.

The doctor let out a muffled chuckle. “I mean, Katara and Aang are great, but going into battle without special skills? That takes guts.”

“I just liked them because they beat everyone up.”

The plague doctor laughed at her retort. 

“I have a friend who’s like that. You’d get along great with her.”

"She sounds more like Toph."

The doctor laughed. "Yeah, I guess she kind of is."

"Toph was the best side character in the whole show, change my mind." 

"I won't disagree with that position even if I think it's actually Iroh." 

Lydia was about to say that yes, Iroh was a great character but Toph was someone Lydia could see herself in, but she stopped when the plague doctor kept talking.

“Sometimes I feel like a side character in the story.” For the first time that night, the doctor sounded subdued and his voice got even quieter. "Like someone else is the hero."

Her breath caught in her throat. “I know what you mean.” Lydia hadn't felt like a hero in years and it felt like everyone around her was the main character or the hero. To know that someone else felt the same way was… comforting to say the least. She and this strange, somehow attractive doctor were one in the same.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that-" He cut himself off, ducking his head. 

Despite the large mask, Lydia could hear the doctor's breath hitch- he felt whatever was between them too, Lydia was sure of that- and they both leaned in closer to each other, Lydia's head angling ever so slightly. The doctor's masks grazed Lydia's face and he jerked back a second later. 

Lydia recoiled as well, but she realized that it might have been from the blasting music rather than any misconstrued feelings. The music downstairs got even louder and Lydia recognized the music. She had no idea how Hal had gotten access to the speakers, but the song being blasted right now was unmistakably his favorite sea shanty. 

“You wanna go dance?” The doctor stood up and reached out a hand and Lydia felt immediate relief that he still wanted to be with her. 

“To a sea shanty?” You couldn’t be friends with Hal and the Herons without dancing to a shanty or two, which Lydia figured that was a niche friend thing that no one else did outside their group, but here this man was ready to go. What kind of guy dressed up like a plague doctor and knew sea shanties?

“I have more experience with shanties than you’d think.” At that moment, Lydia knew she wanted to get to know this plague guy better. She wanted to know his coffee order, his major, whatever, all the dumb little details about him. This was someone who knew her on a deeper level.

Lydia and the doctor walked out of the room and immediately the masked doctor was accosted by a group of loud guys. 

“You’re a doctor, you have to check out Knut’s foot. It’s bleeding bro!” 

The guys weren’t taking no for an answer despite protests that it was only a costume and the plague doctor looked over his shoulder in what Lydia was sure would have been a beseeching manner if she could have seen his face. She wondered if she’d ever find out who was under the mask as the masked doctor was whisked away by a group of wild partiers.  
~  
Lydia wandered back into the kitchen and aimlessly grabbed a handful of pretzels. What a night it had been. A makeover, a breakdown, and then an almost kiss with a mysterious stranger; this would have never happened at Limmat Uni. Skandia State truly was a unique place. 

A plate of nachos was calling Lydia’s name and she was just about to reach for them when someone twirled her around. 

“There you are!” 

At the sound of Tecumsa’s voice, Lydia unclenched her fists and lowered them. It was just Tecumsa; it was okay.

“Hey Tecumsa.” 

Tecumsa was practically glowing with happiness and she had a can of pop in her hands. 

“Where have you been all night? We’ve been looking for you–” Tecumsa looked at Lydia and her slightly smeared makeup and Lydia’s puffy eyes and concern immediately filled her eyes. “Lyd, what’s wrong?”

The sincerity in Tecumsa’s tone almost made Lydia start tearing up again, but she managed not to. “Thanks for asking, but I’m fine now. Just had to take some time to myself, that’s all.” 

Tecumsa wrapped an arm around Lydia. 

“One more dance with boys and then we’ll call it a night?” 

"That sounds good, yeah."

The girls went out of Rollond's kitchen and surveyed the dance floor. Nina and Lotte were nowhere to be found but Tecumsa spotted the Herons on the floor. 

Jesper and Stefan were doing an out of step waltz together, Stefan's Phantom of the Opera cloak whirling around them as they spun. Stig and Hal were doing a jig that got more aggressive with every second. It looked like they were going to sprain something.

"They've been doing that all night." piped up the velociraptor twin who had popped up again without Tecumsa and Lydia knowing. 

"You have got to stop doing that," grumbled Lydia.

The dinosaur shook his head. "I will not."

In retaliation, Lydia grabbed one of his floppy arms and dragged him to dance with her and Tecumsa. It soon turned into a dancing group of the Herons as Stig and Hal danced their jig over and Stig grabbed Tecumsa, twirling her around. It was deliriously fun, considering everything, but Lydia couldn't help but think that it would have been better if Edvin or the guy in the plague mask was around.

The music ended and true to her word, Tecumsa pulled away from Stig and grabbed Lydia. 

"Time to go?" Lydia nodded in affirmation.

Stig looked at Tecumsa. "Want me to walk to the apartment with you guys?"

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Thanks babe, but you need to find Hal to do your special Halloween tradition and Lydia and I need to talk."

"We do have to smash a pumpkin still." Stig gave Tecumsa another kiss and waved goodbye to Lydia. A chorus of goodbyes went behind them as they left the house and went outside into the cool night's air.

Lydia checked her phone for the first time that evening; she had a couple missed texts from Tecumsa including the picture sent of grumpy pirate Hal that was going to be his new contact photo and instagram notifications saying that Nina and Lotte had requested to follow her. Her thumb wavered for not even a second before Lydia clicked "accept" and "follow back" and she was greeted with Nina and Lotte immediately accepting her requests. 

Another ping and a look down. Nina had tagged Lotte, Tecumsa, and Lydia in a photo, one of the selfies they had taken. It was the happiest picture Lydia had seen herself in since the summer and she realized that this had been one of the happiest nights in a long time. Surrounded by friends who cared for her and who she cared about. It was… nice to say the least.

“Everyone had some good costumes despite it being so last minute.” Lydia was content to walk in silence but she felt bad for dragging Tecumsa away from the party even if Tecumsa had offered to come with her.

“Yeah, I was really impressed with everyone, especially Edvin and his plague doctor costume even though he didn’t tell anyone it was him under the mask. I could tell because he’s so small standing next to Ingvar.”

Lydia stopped in her tracks, the tassels on her headband whisking her face. “He went as what?” 

“Oh, you must have missed him since he came kinda late. Edvin was a plague doctor. It was super cool actually.”

As Tecumsa rambled on about how Edvin as the “mysterious” plague doctor had told them about breaking into his medieval plagues class and grabbing the outfit, Lydia was silent. So Edvin was the mysterious stranger whom she almost kissed. 

A smile spread across Lydia’s face. 

Huh.  
**~**  
Edvin had no idea what had possessed him tonight. Breaking into a classroom for his costume, not telling anyone who he was under the mask, almost kissing a beautiful stranger; Edvin had never felt more alive. 

The plague costume went stuffed in the back of his closet, he’d return it tomorrow, and Edvin collapsed on his bean bag and closed his eyes. 

Ingvar came in several minutes later, filling the doorway with his intimidating figure. Edvin opened his eyes at the flood of light. 

"Geez, you really do look like Batman there. Just need to get you a spotlight."

It was weird seeing Batman let out a chuckle, but Ingvar was a genial guy. "You missed a good party."

“Only stayed for a little bit. I didn’t want to be looking at Knut’s bleeding foot all night.” Ingvar nodded. They both knew that Knut had a penchant for getting himself injured and making med students look at him. This was far from the first time and it would be far from the last time Knut got injured at a party.

“Did you happen to see Lydia at the party? I didn’t see her anywhere.” He hoped that sounded casual and nonchalant and not like he was asking because he fancied her or anything. Edvin had seen most of the other Herons, but he hadn't seen Lydia at all. It made sense with the mask and all, but he missed seeing her. 

Ingvar took off his Batman mask, his hair all ruffled from the cowl. 

"Lydia made herself scarce in the second half of the party and then she and Tecumsa went off. You should have seen her costume; I know how much you like Avatar."

The beanbag rustled as Edvin slipped off it. 

"What?" He croaked out, hoping Ingvar was too busy to notice that his voice was an octave higher than it normally was. 

"She went as a Kyoshi warrior."

A strangled groan escaped Edvin's mouth and he let his head droop to the floor. Of course the pretty Kyoshi warrior was Lydia. Of course they were going to dance but didn't. Of course she didn't know who was really under the mask. 

Oh Gorlog, Orlog, and the three Vallas. If Edvin knew what Lydia's costume was, someone would probably be telling Lydia that he was under the mask. He hadn't told anyone but his absence was noticeable and Tecumsa had been giving him knowing glances all evening. 

Ingvar came out of the bathroom to find his roommate's face stuffed in a pillow. The former Batman merely squatted down and patted his friend on the back. 

"There, there, it's going to be okay."  
**~**  
**Stig to Thorn**  
**Stig:** Tursgurd left a rotten pumpkin on our doorstep. I'll beat him black and blue  
**Thorn:** Calm down  
**Stig:** don't tell me to calm down!  
**Stig:** the note said "hope your mother can clean this mess up"  
**Stig:** that's too far.  
**Thorn:** the fact that you texted me makes me think you want me to talk you out of doing something stupid so I'm going to do that  
**Thorn:** your mom is proud to work for the university if it means you get a cheaper tuition  
**Stig:** I know and I'm not ashamed of it but Tursgurd is such a jerk about it and he pushes all my buttons. He taunted me for not having a dad  
**Thorn:** Instead of punching him black and blue, laugh in his face next time and steal his thunder  
**Stig:** But sometimes I see red and really want to punch him  
**Thorn:** so do I but you have to control yourself. Would your mother want you to risk all your scholarships over an inconsequential boy who will do nothing with his life? No, Hanna wouldn't want you to do anything  
**Stig:** thanks Thorn  
**Thorn:** that's what I'm here for


	5. November

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia invites Edvin to Thanksgiving in Araluen with Gilan and his family. Edvin isn't prepared to deal with Araluen's particular style of Jeopardy.

**Hal to Stig**  
**Hal:** Do you think I could add a weapon to the Heron?  
**Stig:** I think you can do whatever you put your mind to, but SHOULD you?  
**Stig:** The answer is heck yeah you should!  
**Hal:** that's a relief because I already added the Mangler to the boat  
**Stig:** you WHAT  
~  
Edvin’s phone buzzed and he flipped it over to see he had a call from his parents. They weren’t due back in the states for another 12 hours. 

As soon as Edvin picked up he could hear his dad’s voice and the murmur of the terminal behind him. 

“Dad, what’s up? Aren’t you about to board the plane?”

His mother broke in. ‘There’s an emergency snowstorm and our flight’s been delayed in Norway. Oh sweetie, I’m so sorry that we’re going to miss Thanksgiving with you.”

“Honestly, it’s all right. I just want you guys to be safe.” Not a lie, but Edvin didn't want to bother his parents. They'd be stressed out enough with the snowstorm; he didn't want them to worry unnecessarily over missing Thanksgiving.

“Is there anyone that you could spend Thanksgiving with?” 

Even though his mom couldn’t see him, Edvin gave a weak smile. 

“I’ll find someone. Keep me updated and I love you guys.”

"Love you too, Eddie. We're so sorry."

Edvin hung up and shook his head. His mom had asked the million dollar question. Stig and his mother were spending Thanksgiving with Tecumsa, Ingvar had already left for break, Ulf and Wulf lived close by but Edvin honestly wasn’t sure what Thanksgiving would be like in that household, and Hal was having dinner with his mom and Thorn, which was an option but it meant he’d be talking about rowing the whole time. There was only Stefan and Jesper left and so Edvin texted Jesper.

 **Edvin to Jesper**  
**Edvin:** What’re you doing for Thanksgiving?  
**Jesper:** Feast hopping. Hitting Stefan up then we’re both going to Hal’s then we’re gonna sneak into Erak’s  
**Jesper:** you KNOW he has the good food 

It was a well known fact that President Erak liked to pretend he had fancy tastes, which extended to food, but it was also well known that many people had walked into the president’s office only to find him chomping on an entire hambone. Erak’s Thanksgiving dinner was sure to be an event.

 **Edvin to Jesper**  
**Edvin:** He’ll probably kill you.  
**Jesper:** he’ll be tipsy and we’ll sing raunchy ballads together with svengal. I have a plan, trust me  
**Edvin:** Save me some chicken then. 

Jesper and Stefan were a no go which meant either dining hall food or cooking for himself. He didn’t mind cooking for just himself, but he didn’t want to have Thanksgiving alone. 

“Hello? Anyone here?” Lydia’s voice echoed down the empty hall, startling Edvin out of his thoughts.

“I am!” he shouted, trying to look presentable. His clothes were wrinkled, but at least he had brushed his hair that morning. Edvin whipped out a comb and brushed it furiously anyway before heading down the hall.

“That doesn’t help me in figuring out who you are!” shouted Lydia, cross until she saw Edvin appear in the common room. 

“It's Edvin. My parents were on a sabbatical research trip in Norway and there was a huge snowstorm. Delayed the flight and now I’m eating dining hall food.” Edvin paused his mini rant. “Wait, why are you here anyway?”

“I got sent out to grab some extra sauce and thought I’d swing by and see if anyone needed food today,” She crooked her head. “Which was a good call apparently. Grab your coat, you’re coming to dinner with me.”

“Are- are you sure? I don’t want to intrude or anything.”

“Come on, you dork. I’ve had your cooking; Jenny will be grateful I’m bringing you.”

“Who’s Jenny?”  
~  
Jenny turned out to be Gilan’s girlfriend who also happened to be in charge of Thanksgiving dinner. Lydia brought Edvin to a huge fancy house close to Araluen University and standing outside, he could already hear a cacophony of noise. Lydia looked over at him and guessed what he was thinking.

“Yeah, this is gonna be a crazy time. Gilan and his family are kind of intense.”

“How many people are there going to be?”

Lydia paused for a moment. “Let’s just say a lot.”

“How many is a lot?” Edvin had been to family picnics in Hallasholm his whole life– he was used to large gatherings– but the way Lydia was acting gave Edvin the feeling he had no idea what was coming. 

"It can only get louder is what I'm saying. Last chance to duck out if you want a quiet Thanksgiving."

"Are you kidding me? This is exactly what I wanted." Lydia smiled at him and she seemed to remember something as she did.

"Oh, also, if someone asks you about Jeopardy, it's probably better to play dumb. Actually, just let me handle Jeopardy. I want you on my team." A flash of thrill rushed up Edvin's spine. Lydia wanted him on her team. But wait. 

"How intense is Jeopardy in this household?"

"You'll find out."  
~  
Lydia had been right since the noise only increased as they went inside and Lydia opened the door to the industrial sized kitchen. One woman stood in the middle of the activity and barked orders at everyone all while stirring furiously. She whipped her ponytail toward Lydia and Edvin. 

“Please tell me you brought the extra cranberry sauce.” 

Lydia smirked. “Yes and something better: a competent cook.”

The brunette eyed Edvin up and down like she could judge his cooking skills just from a look and she gave a satisfied nod. 

“He’ll do. Plus you vouched for him Lyd, so I can trust him.” She turned back towards the kitchen. “George, sorry, I love you like a brother, but I’m replacing you with this stranger.”

The man with glasses threw down his knife and practically fled from the kitchen in relief. 

“That’s my cue.” Lydia turned as well and Edvin had a brief flash of panic. He was thrown into an unfamiliar kitchen with a bunch of knife wielding strangers. Jenny grinned and thrust a pan at Edvin. 

“Get cooking newbie!”  
~  
Despite his initial reluctance, Edvin enjoyed helping out with the dinner. Jenny was like a genius in the kitchen and he had even picked up some tips from her that would be helpful for the next team dinner. He and everyone had been shooed out of the kitchen for the turkey preparations; apparently Jenny always insisted on bringing out the turkey herself. 

The only seat open was next to Lydia and Edvin collapsed on the seat in relief. It was good to sit down and Lydia gazed at him in amusement. 

“Tired already?”

Edvin stared back, his eyes wide. “Honestly, yeah. Cooking with Jenny was intense, but amazing.”

“That’s good,” Lydia narrowed her eyes. “Wait, do you know everyone here?”

“I know you, Professor Davidson, and Jenny.”

Gilan butted in the conversation. “Please, call me Gilan. Lydia, you haven’t introduced him to everyone?”

“Jenny stole him away before he could meet anyone else,” shot back Lydia. 

Gilan put his hands up grinning cheerfully. “I’ll cop to that. Anyway, clockwise, we have Alyss, Will, George, Horace, Cassie, Duncan, Crowley, Halt, Pauline, and my dad David.”

“That’s Sir David to you!” shouted the man from across the table. 

Gilan rolled his eyes playfully. “Geez, a man gets royally knighted in a foreign country and his ego inflates.”

“I worked hard to get knighted and you know it!” The friendly banter between father and son made Edvin miss his own father even more and somehow Lydia picked up on his change in mood. She squeezed his hand for a brief second and it jolted Edvin almost out of his seat. 

"Is this normal?"

A smile. "Happens every time."

"It's fun, like a neighborhood picnic." The friendly banter and teasing reminded Edvin of the Heron's dynamics and the crazy community block parties Hallasholm would throw in the summer. Maybe he should take Lydia to one, he thought idly. 

The brown haired man, Will, leaned in toward Edvin and Lydia.

“We’ll probably have some other people come by. Rodney, Anthony, Martin, Arald and Sandra, the whole gang.” 

"Who are they?"

Lydia seemed like she was about to continue speaking when Jenny bust through the wooden doors carrying the largest turkey Edvin had ever seen. The turkey was so big, Edvin was pretty sure he could have been used to stuff it. 

Crowley let out an appreciative whistle. "Jenny, you've outdone yourself."

"Thank you!" Jenny set the enormous turkey down in front of Halt and wiped her brow before taking her seat next to Gilan. Everyone took a second to gaze at the turkey and Cassie took a picture of it before Halt grabbed a knife out of his pocket. Edvin jumped a little but no one else seemed all that distrubed that someone had pulled a knife out at Thanksgiving.

Halt was just about to carve into the turkey when a thought struck Rodney. 

"Is that the same knife you use to cut your hair with?" he asked, causing Alyss to spit out her coffee onto the white tablecloth. 

“If you carve the turkey with the same knife you cut your hair with, I will puke.” Gilan gagged as Halt glared at him. 

“Why would I use the same knife? I need a serrated knife for the turkey; I don’t use that type to cut my hair.”

Jenny’s eyes bugged out. “Halt if you use your janky hair knife on that turkey I spent a whole day on…”

Halt waved around the knife, making half the table, including Edvin, flinch. “It’s not the same knife!”

“Just cut the dang turkey already!” snapped Horace. “I’m getting hangry!”

Pauline glanced at the young man who wilted under her gaze. She put a hand on Halt’s forearm. 

“Dear, we know it’s not the same knife. For our sake, could you please cut the turkey?”

Halt cut the turkey, muttering under his breath as he did. The serving plates were passed around and the table fell silent as everyone dug into the copious amounts of food in front of them. After some time had passed, Crowley brought out a generous bottle of red wine and passed it around to the adults at the table. 

Pauline offered to pour Cassie a glass of wine which Cassie declined. Horace looked at her strangely and she whispered something in his ear. He relaxed and wrapped an arm around her with a smile on his face.

"A toast," Duncan stood up and raised his glass. Everyone followed suit. "A toast to another successful year of family, friendship, and love." He glanced at everyone around the table. "We are blessed to have such a close circle of family and friends who are family. May the circle continue to widen each year." Edvin couldn't help but feel that last part who somehow directed at his presence at the table. Logically, he knew it wasn't but he was the only new face at the table.

"Wow dad, that was truly beautiful." Cassie wiped an imaginary tear from her eye. "Now I know why they made you president of Araluen U."

"He had my vote!" crowed a slightly drunk Halt who had downed one glass of wine and three cups of coffee so far. "Duncan would've gotten expelled without our help!"

Halt gestured toward a pleased looking Crowley and Duncan looked pained at the mention of the dark time where his look-alike went around to all the frat houses and completely trashed his reputation all to get Morgarath control of Serenne and Company. It had culminated in a rescue from an abandoned house and a tipsy fist fight. Needless to say, it wasn't Duncan's favorite time to remember.

"Remember when you fired me right before I got tenure?" Halt was on a roll now and everyone around Edvin roared with laughter although there was a weird undercurrent to it. 

This was easily the least enjoyable part of Thanksgiving for Duncan; Halt gets a glass of wine in him and then starts drunkenly recollecting all the embarrassing things the older gang has done over the years. 

"Halt, you showed up drunk in the cafeteria and nearly shot a campus safety officer with a medieval arrow all while insulting me. I had no choice."

Anthony broke in. "That's not true. You could have had him arrested." Duncan shot him a look that clearly said you aren't helping, you're supposed to be on my side. 

"Good times." Halt looked like the cat that ate the canary. Will shook his head in amusement. 

"It's been years, give him a break Duncan. He was only trying to save me from a horrible year at Skandia State." Will looked over at Lydia and Edvin with mirth in his eyes. "No offense to you Skandian Staters, but there's no way I'd ever go to your school after that horrible recruiting trip."

"No offense taken." Edvin was well aware of the reputation Skandia State had, it certainly wasn't for the faint of heart. There were times he wondered how he had survived all these years.

Perhaps sensing the tension that had risen from memories being brought up, George finished up his glass and clapped his hands together. “Time for games!”  
~  
Games at Gilan’s house were very different from the games Edvin played with his family. His parents tended to enjoy more cerebral games, but Gilan and his family played games that seemed to tear the friends apart. It didn't matter which game; Monopoly, Scrabble, Edvin even saw Will put Gilan in a headlock over a game of Connect 4. 

The worst was Jeopardy, which happened after the rest of the guests filed in. Apparently everyone went really hard when it came to Jeopardy and the teams were carefully divided based on personality type and their general base of knowledge. 

George had patiently explained all of this to Edvin over dinner, but it still intimidated and confused him, hours after the feast. Alyss and Lydia were trying to explain it again. 

"We used to do random teams, but stopped after Anthony and Martin nearly took each other out while on the same team. Nearly destroyed their relationship."

Edvin looked at the two men sitting quietly together and laughing. He shuddered just thinking about how hard the game must be if it brought that mild couple to blows. He also wondered why it was better to separate the couple than let them be on the same team. 

"Edvin, how smart are you?" asked Alyss, a strange glint in her eyes. 

That was a terrifying question to be asked and Edvin truly had no idea how he was supposed to answer it. Lydia stepped in smoothly. 

"We're a package deal."

"Oh ho ho," chortled Crowley. "Someone is rather confident in their abilities."

"Ha ha," sneered Lydia, which only made Crowley smile more. 

"Well, if you get Edvin, then we get George."

Panic rolled onto Lydia's face for a brief second before it smoothed over. "Go ahead, you can have George."

Pauline consulted her clipboard. "So Team One consists of Crowley, Will, Rodney, Anthony, Arald, David, Cassie, Alyss, and George. Team Two is Martin, Halt, Gilan, Duncan, Jenny, Horace, Lydia, Sandra, and Edvin."

The fact that Lydia wanted him on her team was really nice, but Edvin was getting worried about how much stock Lydia had put into his Jeopardy abilities. He had heard George speak over dinner and it was obvious that the guy knew an enormous amount about everything. This was going to be a terrifying game.  
~  
He had been right. It was a horrifying game. Playing Jeopardy, Edvin could see why the teams needed to be balanced. The couples and friends were so evenly knowledgeable about so many subjects that to make it fair, the teams had to be picked out. 

There were so many fights over the buzzers and what constituted as a correct answer. Admittedly, Edvin went to a school and lived in a dorm apartment where it wasn't uncommon per say to find an argument on the verge of becoming a fist fight, but these arguments genuinely seemed like the people were about to go outside and take the kid gloves off. 

Apparently they played a version where you didn't know the amount a question was worth ahead of time and the money amounts were all mixed up so no one knew who was winning until the end. It was a perversion of the game show Edvin loved, but he had to admit it was fun. 

When Arald and Duncan got into their second argument over what the proper lance type should be used in a jousting match, Horace pulled Edvin aside and whispered conspiratorially in his ear. "You should see us when it comes to games in the spring. Capture the flag and hide and seek are intense." Edvin shuddered at the thought but he found he wanted to be a part of those games.

The game continued at a breakneck pace with the two team evenly matched. Lydia had made the right call to have Edvin team up with her because he was neck and neck with George for most questions correctly answered. 

The instructions for the final Jeopardy question were simple: nominate one person on your team to answer the final question. Everyone still has to try and answer, but it really comes down to your representatives. Depending if both contestants got the answer correctly, Pauline would points accordingly. It was a very vague system that confused Edvin, but he knew all he had to do was answer the question correctly. 

"Two European countries derive their names from a medieval tribe. One of these countries is Russia." Everyone waited for Pauline to finish the question and when she didn't they started to scribble down their answers. George put his pencil down first, quickly followed by Halt, Will, and Gilan in quick succession. Edvin was the last one to stop writing, a fact that made his team quite nervous.

Pauline gathered up all the slips with people's name and looked at them, occasionally humming and frowning. She passed them back without a sound and stood up in front of her podium.

People had been counting and looking at the score; it was part of the game. Pauline almost never gave anything away but her dearest friends could interpret her looks and everyone could tell that this game was close. Edvin and George were head and head for questions answered correctly and everyone knew that it would come down to the final question. Pauline knew it, Horace knew it, even Lydia knew it came down to this question. 

"I can say that team one is a question behind team two so it all comes down to this." The tension in the room increased tenfold.

Will and Cassie started a thunderous drumroll and Pauline paused to increase the drama. 

"And the answer is…" The tension in the room was palpable. "Belarus!" 

Immediately, everyone looked down at their folded answers. Rodney wordlessly crumbled his up and threw it away. George proudly displayed his slip that said "Belarus" in perfect handwriting. Team One exploded with happiness, but Halt sat across from them with his arms crossed. 

"That's not the answer. Based on the wording of the question, it should be the Rus, not one of the countries named after them." 

"Don't be such a sore loser!" crowed David. "She was asking for the country, not the tribe." 

Anthony smiled at Halt, leaning forward as he gloated. "I never thought you'd be the one nitpicking over tiny details and wording, Halt." 

Halt glared daggers at his close friends. 

"If you are going to argue about the wording of the question," a silent that I made was evident at the end, "then you can argue about it when we get home." Pauline's face said there was no room for arguments. 

There was a glower on Halt's face but he made no more attempts at arguing with his wife. 

Edvin looked down at his note, disappointment seemingly apparent on his face. Lydia leaned over and she saw his note and frowned. He whispered something in her ear and then Lydia went over to Martin and Halt who started whispering. Martin scribbled something on his pad and nodded. 

Pauline consulted her tally sheet and deliberately made her way over to the first team. George and the rest of them started to grin and bask in their victory until Pauline turned to Team two.

"Congratulations to Team Two for being the winner's of this year's Jeopardy!"

"WHAT?" cried Cassie.

With excruciating slowness and the shadow of a smirk on his face, Edvin held up his slip and opened it, revealing a messy but still legible "Belarus". He hadn't messed up the question like the other team had assumed and now it was clear to everyone that he had beaten them by one question.

The smiles slid off of Alyss and George's face as Team Two exploded off of the couch, sweeping Edvin into a group mosh pit. 

"We finally won!" "We did it!" Team One soon relented and got swept up in the celebration. Arald had already crossed over the room and he and Sandra locked lips. Horace and Cassie followed suit and so did Alyss and Will. 

"Take that!" Martin threw his pad of paper onto Anthony's lap, who started to sulk over the loss and his lack of tact from his partner who was taking the chance to utterly gloat. 

There was a nudge at Edvin's shoulder and he turned to see Lydia, her eyes sparkling with competition fire. Gorlog, he had to stop noticing how pretty her eyes were otherwise he'd be in deep trouble one day. She grinned at him and Edvin felt his knees buckle just a little. 

"I knew I made the right in having you on my team."  
~  
The gathering had dissolved shortly after Jeopardy with Anthony and Martin in deep discussion about an obscure court rule from the 7th century, Halt and Pauline going out with Rodney, David, and Crowley for light drinks at Halt's family's place with his nephew, and the remaining guests settling into an comfortable routine at Gilan's that had been clearly done before. It was time for Lydia and Edvin to stop lightly intruding on old traditions and head back to the dorm apartment (plus the other Herons were sure to be getting back soon and Edvin would rather not deal with questions about why he had gotten dinner with Lydia's pseudo family).

Jenny and Gilan walked Lydia and Edvin to the front door and lingered while saying goodbye. 

“Thanks for having me invade your Thanksgiving. I wish I had brought something though.”

Jenny rolled her eyes and Gilan grinned. “You helped out Jenny in the kitchen and made us be on our best behavior. That was more than enough.” 

"Next time you need a fully stocked kitchen, just give me a call. My kitchen is always open to competent cooks." Having known Jenny for just a short while, Edvin knew this was a compliment of the highest order.

Lydia smiled. "So that means no Gilan."

"Hey! I remember you completely burning a hare over a campfire over the summer. You're one to talk." 

"Come on, let's go or this argument will never end."

Lydia dragged Edvin away from the couple and the students got into Lydia's car.  
~  
The drive back to the campus apartments was quiet except for when an unfamiliar song came on the radio that Lydia knew and she spent four minutes singing along to the lyrics. Edvin glanced over; he couldn't help it. This was the most relaxed and loose he had ever seen Lydia. He wanted to have a million more car rides like this if it meant Edvin could hear her off-key singing again.

The campus parking lot was empty and rather than dropping him off, Lydia pulled into a space and parked the car. They both lingered in the car, neither of them wanting to leave. 

"Thanks for dragging me with you to dinner." 

"It was no problem, I'm glad it was you stuck in the dorms." Lydia and Edvin flushed at the same time; Edvin because Lydia had wanted him, Lydia because she had insinuated that she was glad his parents had gotten stuck in a snowstorm and that she dragged the rest of their friends.

Silence descended upon the car and Edvin gathered up his nerve. He had waited a month to do this; there was no better time.

"I need to tell you something even though it's awkward and you might hit me for it."

Lydia stared at him in confusion. "Come on, I would never hit you."

He wasn't so sure of that, but Edvin braced himself and blurted out "I was the masked plague doctor Halloween night and I'm really sorry. I should have told you sooner and I-"

Lydia's eyes darkened for a second and then she burst out laughing. Edvin stared at her in confusion. Why was she laughing? 

"I was just about to tell you that I knew it was you."

"You did?" She definitely hadn't said anything about that to him and Edvin had been sure he hadn't told anyone who he was under the mask.

"Well, Tecumsa told me afterwards. Apparently you stand distinctly."

That was going on Edvin's list of things he did not need to know about. He had enough on his plate besides worrying about how he stood. 

The air in the car felt supercharged and a bit awkward now. Edvin felt like he had to ask the question he had danced around a month ago. 

"Lydia," he started hesitantly then gathered his courage. "I know it's not my place, but why were you crying that night on Halloween?" 

Her face darkened and she took a deep breath to steady herself. "My grandpa died over the summer and he was basically my only family left."

Edvin didn't say anything. He knew Lydia just needed someone to listen. 

"He used to love Halloween and being alone at the party made me think of him and I needed a quiet place to cry."

Saying "I'm sorry" sounded cheap to Edvin so he said nothing but he took Lydia's hand and squeezed it. She turned to him and her voice got soft.

"I'm glad you found me that night."

Edvin wanted to lean in closer just like he had done the previous month with a mask on and he started to until a giant honking sound interrupted him. 

Ulf and Wulf were waving wildly from their pickup truck only a few spaces away. 

"Happy Thanksgiving Edvin!"

"We missed you!" shouted Ulf.

Lydia slumped back in her seat, a disappointed look on her face. The opportunity was lost.  
~  
**Wulf to Ulf**  
**Wulf:** you think Lydia and Edvin were in the middle of something?  
**Ulf:** nah  
**Wulf:** lol you right  
~  
Lydia didn't say anything more about the incident at Halloween or the incident in her car and so Edvin convinced himself that it was nothing. It wasn't nothing, and deep down he knew that, but he wasn't going to bring it up if Lydia wasn't going to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A couple things that didn't make it into the chapter:
> 
> Will and Cassie were aggressively recruited by a Skandia State frat house after they accidentally got on a bus heading toward a week long visit at Skandia State. Erak and Halt had to put a stop to things.
> 
> Halt is the head of the Medieval Studies department and specializes in ancient weapons and spy tactics. The department consists of exactly Halt, Gilan who splits his time between Skandia State and Araluen Uni, and Will the graduate student TA.
> 
> Crowley is the dean and has to deal with fun professors like Berrigan (music) and Farrel


	6. December

**The Boneless Herons**  
**Jesper:** Stefan I love you but if you and Wulf don't stop blasting Christmas music in the room at 2 AM I WILL STAB YOU  
**Stig:** I will join you Jesper  
**Wulf:** Sounds like someone isn't on the nice list :/  
**Wulf:** I noticed you didn't say you loved me  
**Stefan:** he doesn't love you as much as he loves me  
**Hal:** I don't mind the music  
**Ingvar:** Everyone just needs to go to bed  
**Lydia:** STOP BLOWING UP MY PHONE ABOUT YOUR DUMB CHRISTMAS SONGS AT 2 AM I AM TRYING TO SLEEP  
**Lydia:** I WILL USE MY ATLATL  
**Ulf:** no keep texting. If we have to listen to the music at ungodly hours, you can deal with some light texting  
**Ingvar:** we could create another group chat specifically for dorm music blasting preferences?  
**Hal:** I don't see what the problem is. I'm already up  
**Stig:** That's the problem  
**Stefan:** hey where is Edvin in all of this?  
**Ingvar:** getting sleep like a normal person  
**Jesper:** boring  
~  
December came and so did finals. Practice slowed down as Thorn let them focus on their tests, which was a good thing since junior year proved to be even harder when it came to finals. Wulf swore that the professors had it out for them and the Herons had to agree. 

All the Herons could be found studying with each other or in small groups, but Edvin found himself studying the most in his room, Ingvar at the other desk, and Lydia slumped over on the beanbag. They didn’t say anything during those times, but studied in silence until their eyes blurred. 

“I can’t stand this any more. I need sugar.” Lydia threw down her binder, spreading papers all over the floor. The noise startled Ingvar out of his study funk and he threw a pencil at Edvin, breaking the smaller man’s concentration. 

“Come on Edvin, we’re getting sugar from the Fishbowl. Take a break from studying and come with us.”

Truthfully, Edvin had been staring at senseless memes for the past ten minutes and was glad to have another distraction. He was past the point of being productive; if he stared at his textbooks any longer, his eyes would be worse than Ingvar’s.  
~  
The Fishbowl was packed with students who had the exact same need for sugar and caffeine at unreasonable hours. The shelves were almost all cleared out, but between the three of them, Edvin, Ingvar, and Lydia had gotten two pints of ice cream and a handful of candy bars. 

Somehow Ingvar had found three empty seats and the three of them squeezed around the incredibly tiny table. 

"Gorlog, finals are killing me." Lydia groaned and put her head on the table.

"Try some ice cream, the chocolate is pretty good," offered Ingvar. 

The ice cream was good, especially when they mixed in the candy they had gotten. The three of them dug in and sat back once finished, content to let the sweet sugar run through their finals-addled bodies. 

"I'm gonna go get some coffee. That wasn't enough caffeine."

Lydia stood up and left the table. Edvin took this opportunity to shovel down the few remaining bites of ice cream, taking the chance to look undignified while Lydia wasn't around. Ingvar looked at his roommate scarfing down the ice cream with amusement in his eyes.  
~  
**Stefan to Stig**  
**Stefan:** Did Rollond just give his ice cream pint to Lydia?  
**Stig:** what? Tell me more? Where are you?  
**Stefan:** The fishbowl. Lydia's here with Ingvar and Edvin but they don't see me  
**Stefan:** is Lydia using Rollond to give her ice cream?  
**Stefan:** that's genius  
**Stig:** Tell me the details Right Now  
**Stefan:** lemme sprint on over and crash in your room to give the deets  
~  
"I brought back another ice cream and coffee. May have had to fight a guy for it, but it was worth it."

Lydia plopped down into the seat and put the tub of ice cream on the table. Neither of the boys went to take a bite and she scowled at their inaction, grabbing the pint for herself before allowing Edvin to have some. As he was eating, Lydia poured milk and honey into her coffee and Edvin wondered when she had stopped drinking her coffee so black. 

Ingvar looked down and spent a minute painstakingly texting on his phone, which was weird since Ingvar preferred to use the text to speech feature. He must be texting something sensitive, Edvin concluded. He had no idea what Ingvar would be texting though. Ingvar finished and sat back with a self-satisfied look on his face.

Edvin's phone pinged and Lydia looked at him like she was expecting him to answer it. He shrugged and fished his phone out of his coat pocket. If Lydia wanted him to answer it, he would.

 **Ingvar to Edvin**  
**Ingvar:** I know you really like Lydia because you stuffed your face with ice cream while she wasn't around and then ate primly once she came back. You care what she thinks of you. You don't care what the herons think of you but Lydia is different. 

Edvin choked on the ice cream melting in his mouth. Immediately Lydia sprang up, her hands at his throat ready to give him the Heimlich. 

"I'm okay, I'm okay!" Edvin wheezed out, holding his hands in front of him. He swallowed the rest of the warm ice cream and wiped the small tears from his eyes. Not fully convinced, Lydia hovered behind him for a second, arms ready and a suspicious look on her face, before she took her seat again. 

Ingvar looked really pleased as Lydia started to chat away with him and Edvin sat in silence, brewing over the text message. Was it really that obvious? Gorlog's smelly untrimmed beard, if it was, he was done for.

He loved having Ingvar as his roommate, Edvin really truly did, but sometimes the guy was too perceptive for his own good.  
~  
**Ulf to New Girl (Lydia)**  
**Ulf:** if you wanna join us Jesper and I are carving wood blocks right now  
**Lydia:** you're actually letting me join you?  
**Ulf:** mostly Jesper's idea but I've seen your soap carvings and you need all the help you can get if you're making a present for someone  
**Lydia:** gee thanks  
~  
Ulf, Jesper, and Lydia were outside of the dorm in the cold, carving wooden blocks or attempting to carve blocks in Lydia's case. Apparently the Heron would need a figurehead at some point and Ulf and Jesper had offered to carve it. 

"No offense Lydia, but you stink at this." All three looked down at the carved block of wood in Lydia's lap.

"Is that supposed to be a turtle?"

"No, it's a deer."

Ulf shot a look at Jesper that said that thing is not a deer and Jesper could only shrug helplessly. There was nothing he could do to salvage that wood. He could only hope whoever Lydia sent the wooden gift to wouldn't immediately toss it into the trash.

Lydia groaned and slumped onto the pavement. This was going to be a horrible gift, but there was no other gift she wanted to give Edvin.  
~  
Edvin had a demanding final schedule, five finals in three days, but the good thing was that he got to go on break a lot earlier than most of his friends. Edvin loved his friends dearly, but if he had to listen to Stefan and Stig blasting Christmas carols in the middle of the night, Edvin was going to break the hippocratic oath and release smallpox back into the world. 

The car ride back home took 20 minutes at the most, but even going home for break felt like a long distance to be away from his friends and Lydia. 

“Edvin!” His mother rushed out to envelop him in a hug while his father stood smiling on the porch. Professor Fredrikson and Professor Lee-Fredrikson were ecstatic to have their son back again.

"Welcome home!" 

"It's good to be home, mom."

"Glad to have you back, I'll get your bag." Mr. Fredrikson hefted Edvin's duffel onto his shoulder and led the family inside the cozy house. 

"Your father made a pot of beef stew and it's ready for you." Right at that very moment, Edvin's stomach grumbled and he blushed a little. He ate well at Skandia State, though that was more because he made a bunch of lunches and dinners himself, but finals season always messed up his eating habits. There wasn't any time to cook good meals when there were tests to take so Edvin was dying for a homemade meal. 

"That sounds amazing Dad. It'll be nice to have a fully stocked kitchen to mess around with." 

His dad laughed and it was loud and clear. "I bet. I remember the dorm kitchens when I was at Skandia State. A total nightmare." 

The bowl of stew was better than anything Edvin had tasted in weeks and he downed two bowls in no time at all. After he was finished, the Fredriksons sat back in comfortable silence. 

"It's still kind of early. Do you want to go out or do anything? We could catch a movie." Professor Fredrikson perked up at the thought.

The half-hearted look on Edvin's face said it all. 

Professor Lee-Fredrikson smiled, understanding her son perfectly. She had a pile of final essays to grade and emails to answer as well. Finals season took a lot out of the Fredrikson household. The activities could wait until tomorrow. She laid a hand on her husband's arm.

“Honey, Edvin is tired. We can just put in a dvd tonight, no need to go out to the movies."

Edvin shot his mom a grateful smile. "We’ll go Christmas shopping tomorrow and we can talk then.”

His dad wrapped Edvin in another hug and his mom joined in. 

"We're glad you're back Eddie."  
~  
**Tecumsa to Lydia**  
**Tecumsa:** I know it's a bit of a drive but if you wanna crash at my place for a bit over break, my family and I would love to have you!  
**Lydia:** I'd love that  
**Lydia:** I need some time away from most of the Herons  
**Tecumsa:** If that ain't a mood, I don't know what is (except for Edvin, right? ;))  
**Tecumsa:** Stig's coming over right after Christmas so you could catch a ride with him?  
~  
Edvin wandered around main street aimlessly while his mom dawdled in the bookstore. Normally Edvin would be right there with her, but he wasn't in the mood. He had done most of his shopping already and he really only had Lydia to shop for. He’d only known her for a couple months and while they had gotten close, Edvin wasn’t sure if they were gifts close or if that would be too weird or if he did get a present, what would even be appropriate… and now he was spiralling. 

The coffee shop on the corner looked like a good way to take his mind off of things and escape the cold and it was. There was a spot open by the window and Edvin could look outside for his mom passing by and still over analyze everything, but with a green tea in hand. As Edvin sat there nursing his tea after sending a quick text to his mom letting her know where he was, he was reminded of all the times he had gotten coffee with Lydia. She liked to keep her order the same, a straight black coffee, but the last time she had actually poured milk into it. Strange, but the thought sparked an idea in Edvin's head. There was a large shelf full of containers of mixed coffee brews and tea bags. 

"I'll take that one," Edvin said to the barista, pointing to a bag that contained his favorite brand of tea and a couple coffee mixes he assumed she might like. Maybe this would inspire Lydia to drink more tea? And maybe drink it with him?  
~  
The bag of mixed coffees and teas stood on Edvin's desk, taunting him later that night. If he didn't send the gift soon, Lydia wouldn't get it in time for Christmas. Before he could lose his nerve, he scribbled out a quick note and sealed it up in the envelope. A quick text to Ingvar to confirm Lydia’s address and boom, the package was sent. Hopefully she’d get it before Christmas morning. Now all he had to do was distract himself; luckily his phone buzzed a few seconds later. 

**Ulf (maybe) to Edvin**  
**Ulf (maybe):** How'd finals go for you?  
**Edvin:** Pretty well I think. How many more you got?  
**Ulf (maybe):** gotta take my psych final tomorrow  
**Edvin:** good luck  
**Ulf (maybe):** I'll need it. Maybe I could do an eval of Hal or Ingvar. That might work

Ulf had been a decent distraction but the conversation had ended once Ulf left to get sleep and study a little more. Edvin took a big sip of hot chocolate and went downstairs to see what show his dad was watching. He had to distract himself otherwise he’d keep thinking about that note and the present. It wasn't a weird gift, he didn't think, but what if she hadn't gotten him a gift or- or- 

Nope. This was a perfectly friendly gift between friends and it wouldn't be weird at all to send a Christmas gift to Lydia. Edvin flopped down on the couch in the living room next to his dad as the next episode of Game of Thrones pulled up.  
~  
**The Chaos Trio**  
**Nafets:** should I get hal a stuffed heron?  
**Green stop sign:** is that even legal??  
**Jasper:** Stefan stop asking dumb questions! The answer is absolutely!  
**Green stop sign:** i don't think it is though?  
**Jasper:** minor detail  
**Green stop sign:** why am I friends with you?  
**Jasper:** you love us  
**Nafets:** that's why you enable us Edvin. placing an amazon order now for a stuffed heron  
~  
**The Boneless Herons**  
**Hal:** Merry Christmas bros. I love you guys  
**Var:** Merry Christmas and happy new year!  
**Per:** did u get my present Hal?  
**Hal:** no????  
**Fan:** oh it's coming  
**Tig:** it's not even my present and I'm scared  
**Per:** don't worry Stig, yours is coming  
~  
Christmas morning had come and all things considered, it was a good one. There was no service today so the Fredriksons had taken their time opening the presents. Edvin had gotten lots of knitting yarn and he was already planning out some killer Heron hats for the gang. His parents had been pleased with the 

Edvin's father pulled his mother into the kitchen to work on making the quiche and left Edvin alone in the living room. He'd join them soon, but he wanted to clean up the mess on the floor first. 

There was a small package left under the tree that Edvin didn’t recognize. It was dark green with a shiny brown ribbon. 

“Mom, dad, who is this present for?” It could be a present for his aunt or uncle that his parents had put under the tree or maybe his grandma had snuck it in. 

“It arrived on the porch yesterday.” His mother stuck her head out from the kitchen. "No idea who's it from."

Edvin lifted it up and turned it over in his hands. There was no harm in opening it, right? No one else had claimed it. A small scrap of a note fluttered out when Edvin tore open the package. He picked it up and it read: 

"I won't shoot this deer. Maybe one day I'll take you hunting properly. Love, Lydia."

Inside the box was a small hand carved wooden deer. Truthfully, it was a bit ugly and Edvin wasn't sure he'd have been able to tell it was a deer, but it was his favorite present he had gotten today. Lydia had taken the time to hand carve him a deer. She had given him a thoughtful present that had made her think of him specifically. His present of tea and coffee to her wasn't weird, if anything it paled in comparison to this wooden reindeer. Oh Gorlog, what if the tea and coffee wasn't enough or Lydia actually hated it? 

His phone dinged and Edvin was embarrassed to say that he scrambled too quickly through the wrapping paper to grab it. It was a text from Lydia. 

**Lydia to Edvin**  
**Lydia:** Thanks for the coffee and tea. Trying the mint tea in my coffee now  
**Lydia:** Uh… did you get my present for you? Ingvar told me your address and I dropped it off. I promise I'm not a creepy stalker I just-  
**Edvin:** you mean with your coffee, right?  
**Lydia:** ...answer the question  
**Edvin:** No, no, I got the gift and I love it. You are not a creepy stalker  
**Lydia:** You got that it was supposed to be a deer, right?  
**Edvin:** Yeah, I did.  
**Lydia:** Good :)  
~  
**The Boneless Herons**  
**Ulf:** Happy boxing day  
**Wulf:** you're not british  
**Wulf:** go to Araluen U if you're gonna say that pretentious crap  
**Wulf:** "Happy boxing day" how are we related?  
**Ulf:** oh boy do I have news for you. Mom wasn't going to tell you this but you're adopted  
**Ingvar:** sure would be a shame to get kicked out of the chat so soon after Christmas  
**Jesper:** did y'all get my presents?  
**Ingvar:** WHY DID I GET A STUFFED PENGUIN IN THE MAIL?  
**Edvin:** Jesper, are YOU TRADING IN EXOTIC BIRDS? ILLEGALLY?  
**Edvin:** I got a duck in the mail. Scared the living daylights out of my father.  
**Stefan:** Sending birds is illegal? Jesper and I didn't know that. Uh, maybe don't check your mail then Stig  
**Stig:** I GOT A STUFFED EAGLE WHAT IN ORLOG'S GOOD NAME DID YOU DO  
**Jesper:** :) :) :)  
**Lydia:** would anyone (JESPER) care to tell me why I have a deer head staring at me right now?  
**(Lydia** sent a picture **)**  
**Hal:** wow I got off easy with the heron


	7. January

**The Boneless Herons**  
**Lydia:** It's been 3 months and I still don't know what Jesper is majoring in  
**Ingvar:** Business  
**Jesper:** minecraft  
**Ulf:** Batman  
**Edvin:** thievery  
**Jesper:** actually Edvin is right  
**Jesper:** I'm studying business with the intent to rob all the corporate fat cats and live out in the woods with Stefan as a Robin Hood type figure but with an axe instead of an arrow  
~  
**Lydia to Edvin**  
**Lydia:** how is break going?  
**Edvin:** lots of puzzles and board games. I love it.  
**Edvin:** How are you doing? Are you all alone?  
**Lydia:** Nah, been hanging out with Hal and his fam plus Gilan and that crew. Plus Tecumsa and her family  
**Lydia:** it may be that I’m over socializing actually  
**Edvin:** I’m sorry.  
**Lydia:** Don't be. Miss studying in your dorm room with you and Ingvar 

What Lydia really wanted to say was "I miss you" but she couldn't bring herself to type it. Things with Edvin were really good right now as friends and even though she found herself crushing on him more and more, Lydia was terrified of messing things up. The Herons were her best friends and it could make things complicated. Might be worth it though, mused Lydia, but today was not that day

_Edvin is typing_  
~  
**Edvin to Lydia**  
**Edvin:** I miss that too  
**Edvin:** I miss you 

Immediately, Edvin turned off his phone and promptly marched downstairs and handed it to his mom. Professor Lee-Fredrikson looked at her bright red son and wisely decided not to say anything. She merely put the phone behind the fancy dishes. 

"Let me know when you want it back, sweetie. I know talking with girls is hard."

Edvin groaned and let his head fall down on the dining room table. 

"Don't you have some research to look over that I could help you with?"

"I suppose you could help me and your father look over Professor MacFarlane's notes from his ground-breaking dig. The lost stories are quite fascinating."

Edvin wasn't sure he and his mom had the same definition of fascinating but reading notes from a century ago would distract from the fact that he might as well have told Lydia he loved her.  
~  
The phone lay silent for hours until there was one ping and Edvin nearly dove for it, despite his mother and father's protests about the fancy dishes. 

There, on the screen read "1 unread text from Lydia Demarek."

Edvin opened the text with a hand that only slightly trembled. It was time. 

**Edvin to Lydia**  
**Lydia:** Feeling's mutual

His head dropped onto Professor MacFarlane's notes, scattering the papers everywhere.  
~  
**The Boneless Herons**  
**Aye aye captain:** I would like to just say that Lydia is a terror and she has no right being so accurate with snowballs.  
**Skillydia:** You brought out a freaking crossbow at a snowball fight. I was perfectly justified.  
**OLF:** Lydia you scare me a lot  
**Skillyida:** Good, I should  
**Mak(s)tig:** Let’s have a snowball fight when we come back  
**Dramatic nerd:** the teams have to be equal in talent though  
**Mak(s)tig:** okay so Hal as one captain, Lydia as another  
**Wallet man:** we gotta divide up Ingvar and Stig  
**Olf 1.5:** but Ingvar can’t see very well that’s a disadvantage  
**OLF:** bro that’s irrelevant all he has to do is throw a giant snowball in front and it’ll hit someone probably u  
**Skillydia:** separate the twins PLEASE  
**Four eyes:** I want to be on Lydia's team  
**Aye aye captain:** et tu Ingvar??? How could ye?  
**Four eyes:** you really think you could beat Lydia in a snowball fight without your crossbow?  
**Skillydia:** He couldn't even beat me WITH his crossbow  
~  
**The Boneless Herons**  
**Mak(s)tig:** I have it on good authority that Rollond has a crush on Lydia  
**Dramatic nerd:** can confirm that  
**Aye aye captain:** hgggghhh ROLLOND  
**Olf 1.5:** chill out Hal rollonds cool  
**Aye aye captain:** NOT WHEN IT COMES TO THE BROTHERBAND COMPETITION  
**Aye aye captain:** Wait we can use this  
**OLF:** how?  
**Skillydia:** y’all don’t know what you’re talking about  
**Dramatic nerd:** then why did we see you with Rollond at the coffee shop earlier hmmm?  
**Skillydia:** HE WAS RIGHT BEHIND ME I COULDN'T SNEAK AWAY  
**Aye aye captain:** Lydia can you pump Rollond for information about his ship  
**Wallet Man:** Rollond and Lydia sitting in a tree 

_(Four eyes has thrown Jasper out of the chat)_

**Four eyes:** I am invoking my God-given privilege again  
**Four eyes:** next person to make a joke gets tossed out too  
**Dr. accountant:** Rollond is so friendly he’d probably tell you all about his ship  
**Aye aye captain:** you right  
~  
That had been the end of that awkward and agonizing (but only for Edvin) conversation until Lydia marched up to the brotherband meeting and announced:

"Not that's any of your business, but I'm not into Rollond."

Edvin blushed bright red and Ulf stared at Lydia. 

"Duh."

"Yeah," chimed in Wulf. "But the real question is who are you actually into?"

Ingvar grunted and uncrossed his arms threateningly. "Sure is a shame we're on the third floor…" 

Ulf and Wulf got the hint and shut up while Stig paced around the common room, hands behind his back. As much time as Stig had dedicated to Lydia's non-existent love life like he did with all the other Herons, it was time to focus on the brotherband competition.

"Herons, this is it. The first Brotherband band event of the year."

"Indoors bed racing is intense. Not only will we be competing against Rollond and Tursgurd's team, we'll also be facing off against teams from Araluen in friendly matches."

"There's prize money for the winners of the races and for best costumes."

"Wait, wait, wait. You have to wear costumes? What kinda crazy college-"

Stig held up his hands. "Focus! Based on observations-"

"What observations?"

"Shut up Wulf. As I was saying, Rollond's team is going to be the team to beat. They're muscular and fast."

"Do you think you can beat Rollond?" Lydia's question brought them all to silence.

The boys looked at each other. No one wanted to admit defeat before they had even started, but they all knew Rollond and the Wolves would be tough. However, Stefan had no such qualms about admitting weakness and spoke up, even though Stig was giving a death glare the whole time. 

"We might be able to beat them, but it'll be close and we need the points."

"Do you get brotherband points for winning the costumes?" Lydia had a good question, one Stig hadn't been expecting.

"Yeah, not as many as we'd get for winning, but some. The crowd votes on their favorite."

"People like a spectacle so we have to have a good hook and presentation to get them to vote for us." No one could say Hal didn't think things through when it came to the brotherband competition. "But what should we wear?"

Lydia tapped her finger to her chin. "What's the Araluen mascot?"

"They're the Knights but there's also a sorority called the Couriers competing and a frat house known as the Rangers."

Stefan turned to Lydia. The look in her eyes was unmistakable to the trickster. "What are you planning, Lyds?"

The theater major and one of the most competitive people on the planet looked at each other and for one brief moment, they were on the same wavelength. In unison, they said:

"We need to go to the thrift store."  
~  
It was the big night and tensions were running high. The indoor track was already filling up with spectators from Skandia State and Araluen University and the noise threatened to overwhelm the gym. 

Erak and Svengal were in charge of narrating the races but they were currently arguing over who would get the microphone while at the desk at the front of the racetrack. President Duncan of Araluen University sat next to them with a polite but pained expression on his face. It was obvious he'd rather be in the stands than listening to Erak wrestle with Svengal.

Thorn had made the Herons come earlier than necessary to help set up and there was time to kill before they had to stretch and get on their costumes. The groups from Araluen were already decked out in their outfits. Lydia and a couple other Herons wandered over to the bleachers where the seats were steadily filling up. They found a few familiar faces. Gilan, Pauline, Crowley, and Halt were already firmly seated in the middle of the bleachers between the Skandian and Araluen side. 

"I make them sit as close to the middle as possible," explained Gilan. "I've found that if I show preference for one school over the other, class on Monday gets a lot harder." 

Halt hmmphed. Edvin noticed that he and Crowley (and even Gilan although Gilan seemed to be wearing a mishmash of Araluen and Skandian apparel) were wearing ranger cloaks and Pauline seemed to be dressed in a similar but fancier pantsuit than the Couriers. 

"Pauline, were you in the Couriers?" asked Edvin. The Couriers seemed like a cool group, a bit cooler than the Rangers if you asked him. 

Pauline looked pleased. "I was their president my senior year. A wonderful organization dedicated to supporting powerful and fair-minded students; we were the link to the school administration."

"That's dope. What did the rangers do?" interjected Ulf. 

Halt grinned and it was a nasty one. "We did all the dirty work on campus."

"Stop exaggerating," Gilan nudged him in the side with his elbow. "The Rangers help out campus safety and do some, ah, what one would call vigilante work, occasionally with bows and arrows."

Ingvar took a step back and Wulf took an eager step forward. "Vigilante work? Can I join?"

"Can you shoot a bow and arrow?" Ulf shook his head and Gilan sighed. 

"That's the whole initiation. Probably best to stick with Skandia State."

Ulf deflated and Lydia started to drag him away from the adults. "Let's go get y'all suited up."  
~  
Thorn came up to them and nodded in approval at their costumes. He'd eat Jesper's hat if they didn't win best costumes.

"I'll get the crowd riled up for you guys and then come back to coach."

Lydia took offense at that. She had assumed that she'd be the one getting the crowd's support, but Lydia knew Thorn would be better at it. Still, any chance to mess with him. "I'm their coach, old man, but I'll settle for co-coach."

"Oh, how gracious." Sarcasm dripped from Thorn's mouth, but the smile betrayed his true feelings. Thorn pounded his hook against Hal's outstretched fist and then melted into the crowd. 

Hal looked down at his watch and grimaced. There was still too much time left until the race, but he might as well go over the plan with everyone around.

"Remember, only six of us can compete. The other two are subs if needed."

Stig took over from Hal. "The other teams are going to prioritize strength over speed. Ingvar, we love from the bottom of our hearts and you literally carry this group on your back, but we need sprinters."

Ingvar grinned to let Stig know he wasn't offended at the acknowledgment of his lack of speed. "Once I learn how to sprint, it's all over for you guys."

"Ulf, you're here-"

Ulf held up a dismissive hand. "I don't need the pity speal. I'm gonna make a great cheerleader and announcer."

Wulf wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulders. "You know the script?"

"Yeah, and if not, I can make things up on the fly better than Lydia and Ingvar can so..." 

Ingvar and Lydia merely shrugged. Lydia wasn't the best at on the spot improvisation and Ingvar could do it pretty well, but Ulf was better than them at pumping up a crowd. 

"Can I throw you into the crowd so you can body surf if it gets to that point?" 

Ulf nodded very seriously at Ingvar who was trying to hide the smile on his face. "I fully expect you to do that when the time comes."  
~  
The Araluen U groups presented first, as was custom for guests, and the Couriers, Knights, and Rangers were emblazoned with their usual costumes of cloaks and armor. By the Rangers, Lydia could just make out the sight of Will murmuring something into the ear of one of the Ranger racers. The Rangers would be a tough team to beat. Alyss was by the Couriers as well. 

Rollond's team had won the coin toss and were the first brotherband team to be presented. Jens presented them and the Wolves came running out in the traditional Skandia State uniform of viking hats and furs. This was a risky choice as the administration liked to remind everyone that vikings and Skandians were different, but none of the students paid any attention to the minute distinction.

It made for an impressive show but all Hal could say was "They have got to be roasting." The lights in the gym were very hot and The Herons were a bit uncomfortable even in their light costumes.

Karl announced the Sharks, who had gone for a literal interpretation of their team name and came decked out in shark onesies while blasting the Jaws theme song. Edvin wasn't ashamed to say that he booed. 

Ulf grabbed the microphone from Karl, who glared for a moment before giving up. Ulf looked at Stig, who nodded. That was his cue. 

"How y'all doing tonight?" Ulf screamed at the crowd. 

The response was a bit lackluster but the middle section where Gilan, Halt, Crowley, and Pauline sat positively exploded with noise. Edvin smiled at the sound. 

"All right," Ulf seemed pretty pleased with himself. "My name is Ulf and I'm a part of the Herons and we're college student's worst nightmares!"

The audience cheered a bit but the applause got louder once Ulf announced "The first nightmare for a college student is debt!" and Stig came in wearing a child's sized money jacket emblazoned with dollars everywhere in a garish green and gold over a black choir robe. He started making ridiculous poses and that got lots of laughs.

"Flex for us big guy!" shouted a voice from the crowd that sounded like Thorn and Stig grinned, happy to oblige. The jacket ripped down the back when he flexed and there were several wolf whistles amongst the laughs. 

"Whoops." Stig had an innocent look on his face, but no one was buying it. He ripped the sleeves off to even more wolf whistles and threw them at Tursgurd's feet, making him scowl in disgust. Stig jogged over to where Rollond and the Wolves were standing, apart from the Sharks. 

"The next nightmare is one y'all know of, yeah I'm talking to you," Ulf pointed at the Skandia State student section. "A bad roommate! The one who snores and clogs the toilet when you need it the most."

Jesper came jogging out wearing a blue robe and a toilet plunger hat on his head and threw rolls of toilet paper into the laughing crowd who eagerly grabbed the rolls. Good toilet paper was hard to find, especially if you were stuck in the older dorms. 

"Speaking of needing the toilet, here comes the next nightmare: dining hall food!"

Edvin jogged out a lot faster than Jesper had; he didn't want to showboat quite as much as Jesper did, but he'd do it a little for the brotherband even if it meant wearing a white robe and a chef's hat. He felt vaguely silly but the crowd seemed to love him, especially when he threw ramen packets into the student sections. 

"What's cooking, Hot Stuff?" Rather than Thorn yelling out, it was Lydia this time and Edvin wanted to bury his entire head into his chef hat. Another student caught on and starting chanting "Hot Stuff! Hot Stuff!" 

If there was ever a time where Edvin wanted to transfer to Araluen U, this would have been the time. Ulf sensed Edvin's discomfort and waved on Stefan and Wulf, the fears of 8 ams and graduation respectively.

Stefan was wearing a bathrobe over pajamas and had on a sleep mask. He ran over to Professor Sigrid in the crowd and pretended to slump over onto her while Wulf got down on his knees and silently begged President Erak for a non-existent diploma. Erak snatched away Wulf's thrift store graduation hat in response. Wulf wisely decided it was time to go before President Erak really got fed up with him and he and Stefan jogged arm in arm to the Herons. 

Ulf looked at Stig and he nodded. It was time for Hal to present the last nightmare, the one that would hopefully win them the costume contest. 

"And the final nightmare of a Skandian State student is an Araluen U student! A true 'Knightmare'!" There were groans as people realized the nightmare/knightmare pun but more people seemed to enjoy it than not.

Hal came running in wearing a bright red robe and an Araluen football jersey with a knight emblazoned on it. Immediately all the Skandia State students started booing at Hal good naturedly and shaking their fists at him. Hal spun around with his arms raised up, reveling in the moment, and he deliberately jogged right by the Araluen U students who shook their heads at him. 

"Good costume boy!" shouted Erak as Hal went by the judge's table and took his place with the rest of the Herons. Stefan shot a triumphant look at his friends; they had definitely gotten the most cheers from the audience. It was a good sign for the voting.  
~  
The bed races began with the customary Rangers versus Knights. The Couriers would face off against the winner of that race. The Skandian winners would face off against the Araluen winners to get the prize money, which sounded like a lot, but when broken down into teams of six, didn't amount to a lot of money for each individual.

The Rangers had narrowly beaten both the Knights and the Couriers and so they were catching their breath as the Sharks and Herons prepared to face off. The winner would face the Wolves. 

"Wulf, Edvin, you get onto the bed." They dutifully followed Hal's direction and clambered onto the mattress atop the metal bedframe. Stefan, Hal, Stig, and Jesper each took their spot at one of the four corners. 

Edvin could see the race track before them and it was suddenly much more daunting than it had seemed a moment ago when he wasn't clinging onto a bed frame for dear life. Beside him, Wulf stiffened up. 

"You can do this," whispered Edvin. Wulf shot him a grateful look but the terror on his face didn't go away.

Beside the Herons, the Sharks got into their ready positions. Orlyg and Ennit are on the bed and they look only slightly less terrified than Wulf. 

Erak stood up and holding up his megaphone, announced "On your marks, get set, go!"  
~  
The race was a minute of pure adrenaline. Edvin and Wulf had hurtled down the race track, screaming bloody murder and then the next thing they knew, the world had stopped being a blur and the mattress was still. It took a minute for the noise to catch up, but then they heard the screams of congratulations. The Herons had won the first race. 

Lydia and Thorn came barreling up to the exhausted Herons, closely followed by Ulf and Ingvar. 

"You guys were amazing!" crowed Ulf. 

Stig had his hands above his head, panting heavily. "I've never been more tired in my life. That was the worst sprint I've ever done."

Thorn slapped him on the back, making the burly boy groan. "There's a decent break until you have to race again. Rest up."

The rest of the bed racing team hadn't even bothered to look up from their positions on the floor. Hal gave a thumbs up then immediately dropped it back down.  
~  
Ten minutes later, Svengal had managed to wrestle the megaphone away from Erak and proudly announced that it was time for the Herons versus the Wolves race. 

Both teams got into position and Edvin was glad to be one of the members pushing the bed rather than being on it. Hal and Jesper got onto the mattress and held on tightly. 

As soon as the Herons started sprinting, their robes flapping behind them, Jesper and Hal started yelling their heads off. The Wolves were so close in front of them that had Edvin reached out, he could have grabbed the viking hat right off of Dell's head. However, their renewed energy wasn't enough to beat the Wolves who narrowly edged them out by an inch to the finish line. The Wolves went on to get trounced by the Rangers, making it a triumphant night for Araluen U.

Halt, Gilan, Crowley, and Pauline came over to offer their congratulations and condolences to the Herons before drifting over to the Rangers and Couriers. Edvin noticed Gilan had tossed off his Skandia State apparel. So much for playing both sides. 

A loud squawk filled the track and everyone lifted their hands to their ears. 

"Attention!" screamed Erak. "It's time to announce the winners of the costume contest!"

He handed Duncan an envelope and Duncan pulled out a slip of paper. He peered down at it and announced "The Herons as college nightmares win!"

Now everyone around the Herons really did scream in excitement, none more so than Hal. Even though they had gotten second place, winning the costume contest would tip them a lot closer to first place. 

"Get in the picture!" Lydia was so caught up in the excitement that she held up her phone and motioned for the Herons to pose for the camera. They struck ridiculous poses, staring off into the distance, squatting, and even flexing their muscles, but they made it work.  
~  
**The Boneless Herons**  
**Hal:** what if we were in a heist movie?  
**Lydia:** what?  
**Jesper:** we talking about a heist? I'm in  
**Hal:** no like what roles we would play in a heist movie  
**Stig:** Jesper for for sure be the former mastermind who just needs one more heist to complete his legacy  
**Jesper:** no no no that's Thorn, who's a government worker trying to cover up his past sins. He recruits me, an aspiring pickpocket, to retrieve something for him and I make it into a whole heist  
**Hal:** ooh Ulf and Wulf are the distraction guys and the audience doesn't realize they're actually two people until the big reveal at the end  
**Ulf:** GENIUS and you can be the crazy inventor that doesn't care for crime but appreciates how his inventions are used  
**Stefan:** I'm the social chameleon. You see me sitting in the dining hall with my arms around a crowd of people, schmoozing them before I take their tuition money  
**Ingvar:** I'm the muscle that no one suspects because I keep bumping into things, "accidentally" disabling the security system. I'd also probably write poetry on the side or have a sick mom that I take care of to make me "complex" and "sensitive"  
**Ingvar:** or maybe I get fake arrested and break a crucial key player out of jail  
**Stig:** I'm the hot weapons expert that takes people down with my looks AND my sword  
**Wulf:** oooh Lydia is the one member that fakes a betrayal and defects to the bad guy until the end when it's revealed that it was part of the plan the whole time  
**Lydia:** Edvin is the undercover inside guy where he's like a frazzled administrator who's trying to make sure the event goes smoothly but we keep messing it up for him and then when we fail to get the gems, it's revealed that HE was the one who was grabbing them for us all along  
**Edvin:** that's basically my role in real life???  
**Thorn:** I would watch this movie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The race and heron costumes may or may not be inspired by real campus events and I may or may not have been part of a team that won money in a bed race for best costumes


	8. February

**The Boneless Herons**  
**Jesperfect:** y’all wanna see the picture I took???  
**(Jesperfect** sent a image **)**  
**Makstig #1:** Aw that’s actually a nice picture of me and Tecumsa. Thanks Jesper!  
**Jesperfect:** don’t thank me quite yet. Zoom in on the background  
**Wolf boy:** ????  
**Stefano:** why  
**Dr. mcstabby:** OH MY GOSH  
**Lid-ia:** JESPER I WILL NEVER SAY THIS AGAIN BUT I LOVE YOU SO MUCH  
**Makstig #1:** is that…  
**Makstig #1:** I can’t believe me eyes  
**Ikea Hal:** I CAN EXPLAIN  
**Lid-ia:** Boy you are full on staring lovingly into the Heron's nonexistent eyes. You look like you're about to propose to it  
**Wolf boy:** I’m never forgetting this picture  
**Werewulf:** Can you marry a boat?  
**Ikea Hal:** I love the Heron more than all of you right now  
**Werewulf:** that’s obvious  
**Makstig:** even me? :(  
**Ikea Hal:** ...you’re on thin ice  
~  
**The Boneless Herons**  
**Makstig #1:** What’s a good present idea for Tecumsa?  
**Wolf boy:** lightsaber  
**Stefano:** hot dog  
**Legally (near) blind:** emoji movie dvd  
**Makstig #1:** I MEANT ROMANTIC GIFTS  
**Wallet man:** idk emoji movie is pretty romantic Ingvar is onto something  
**Wallet man:** and u know Tecumsa would dig it  
**Ikea Hal:** nerf gun  
**Lid-ia:** i’d date anyone who gave me a nerf gun  
**Ikea Hal:** even Rollond **eye emoji**?  
**Lid-ia:** you kissed your boat  
**Ikea Hal: angry face emoji**  
**Dr. mcstabby:** can we have a nerf gun battle on valentine’s day instead?  
**Lid-ia: **I’m down****

**(Stefan to Wulf**  
**Stefan:** of course Lydia’s down, She’d be terrifying with a nerf gun  
**Wulf:** don’t even say that, I’m already quaking  
**Wulf:** and you know she liked it since Edvin suggested it **)**  
~  
**Lydia to Edvin**  
**Lydia:** happy valentines day. I’m going to shoot you  
**Lydia:** gahh that came out wrong. I’m cupid but with a nerf gun  
**Edvin:** danger baby  
**Edvin:** I meant that you're a danger baby  
**Lydia:** aw thanks sweetie 

Edvin had to set the phone down, his face aflame. Why had he sent that text? What did it mean when she responded like that?  
~  
It was Valentine’s Day and the nerf guns were all ready. Stig was gone on a date with Tecumsa and the past month had been spent amassing a truly terrifying amount of nerf guns. There was a stack of plastic darts bigger than Ingvar waiting to be used in the common room. 

Hal paced around the foam darts, his hands behind his back. "The rules are simple: you get hit and others see the paint splotches, you're out for this round, no head shots, and no places where we can't all access." Ulf deflated at the thought. He had been planning on hiding out in the bathroom to avoid Lydia's deadly accuracy. 

"Also, all the bullets have paint powder in 'em so we'll know if you get hit." 

Ingvar felt he had to speak up. "You have too much time on your hands Hal." 

"It's because I get no sleep." Hal checked his watch. "Ok everyone, grab your guns. There's a minute left before this turns into a free for all." 

At Hal's words, the players scattered. Edvin ran towards the dorm rooms, Lydia ran toward the basement, the twins fought each other on the way to the kitchenette, Jesper disappeared into thin air, and Stefan, Ingvar, and Hal had their guns out in a three way duel already.  
~  
The basement was silent as Lydia crouched in the dark corner behind a chair. There was no point in actively going out and hunting the boys, they'd hunt themselves and she would pick off whoever crossed her path. She was in the perfect place: a good view of the basement, the motion sensor light would alert her to anyone coming, and it had the perfect atmosphere for a nerf gun showdown. 

A few minutes later, after Lydia had shifted her squatting stance, the basement lights flickered on. She slowly loaded the nerf gun and raised it up only to see Edvin sneaking down. He held his hands up and gave an explanation. 

"I've been hiding in Stig's bed for the past half an hour. It's the last place Hal would look." 

"And then you decided to come to the basement, risking your cover?" Lydia was skeptical, but she was willing to give Edvin the benefit of the doubt. Edvin theatrically shuddered. 

"I heard the twins coming down the hall and they were searching all the rooms plus I figured you'd be down here." 

"So you thought I'd be less likely to shoot you? Wrong choice!" Lydia raised up her nerf gun and Edvin threw up his hands in a desperate plea. 

"I have information!" The tone in Edvin's voice made Lydia pause; maybe he really did have useful information. 

"The twins are deadly together. They've formed a counter-alliance against Hal and Stefan. Ingvar's already been shot." That was news to Lydia. She had expected everyone to go their separate ways to win the money pot. 

At that exact moment, a barrage of bullets flew by them. The twins must be close and heard them talking. Edvin and Lydia rounded the corner and Lydia threw Edvin behind the basement vending machine. 

"They won't find us here." The two of them were pressed up real close together and Edvin could feel the humming of the vending machine. 

"Bold of you to trust me. I'm going to win that trophy and the money pot." 

"I know you're too good but I propose a Hunger Games alliance." Lydia looked Edvin up and down, trying to judge his intentions, and Edvin felt his throat tighten. 

"I'm Katniss." Lydia finally said. 

"Obviously." 

"Wait," Lydia peered suspiciously at her smaller friend, a thought dawning on her. "How'd you know Hal and Jesper had an alliance if you've been hiding since the start?" 

Edvin paused, his mouth half open like he was going to say something until he firmly shut his mouth. The hairs on the back of Lydia's neck stood straight up. Something was wrong.  
Edvin gave her a crooked grin and pressed up even closer like he was about to kiss her. Instead, he raised his nerf gun and lightly shot her on the side. 

"I've got backup." 

Lydia gasped and her mouth formed a perfect "o" as she sunk to the ground. There was a tiny blue dot staining the side of Lydia's shirt, a tangible sign of Edvin's betrayal. 

"You betrayed me! And for Hal and Jesper?" 

Edvin shrugged. "Think of it like the Hunger Games except Katniss ate the berries and Peeta didn't. I need the money too." 

"I bet Katniss would've haunted Peeta from the grave and that's what I'm going to do. You will never have another moment's peace." 

"What if I said next game I double cross Jesper and Hal and we go all rogue on everyone?" 

"How do I know I can trust you?" Lydia pulled closer. "You haven't proven yourself all that trustworthy." 

"You don't." If Edvin had been any closer, he would have been close enough to kiss Lydia. They stared at each other for a moment, both their gazes burning with energy and competitiveness. 

Finally, Lydia broke away. "Fine, grab the gun. We're getting Hal first and we need Ingvar."  
~  
 **The Boneless Herons**  
 **Ulf:** Stig where ua t?  
 **Stefan:** date night is taking a long time  
 **Hal:** you missed a fun nerf gun battle  
 **Edvin:** Ingvar, Lydia, and I beat everyone  
 **Ingvar:** don't answer if you're driving  
 **Wulf:** don't text and drive. Don't steer and drive  
 **Wulf:** don't steer and text. Don't drive at all in fact  
 **Jesper:** don't don't  
 **Lydia:** y'all think you're so funny  
 **Ulf:** we are objectively hilarious  
 **Wulf:** your pick up lines are hilariously bad. That's why you're single this valentine's day  
 **Lydia:** pfft all pickup lines are pretty bad  
 **Ingvar:** the twins do have the worst luck out of all of us when it comes to dating. It might be because of your pickup lines  
 **Edvin:** Sounds like it's backed by science  
 **Edvin:** and Lydia, I would disagree. Pickup lines aren't all bad

**(The Chat where we complain about the romantic tension between Lydia and Edvin**  
**Jesper:** is Edvin secretly being controlled by aliens? Who is he? Where did that come from?  
**Stig:** this is blowing my mind **)**

**Lydia:** they make me groan  
**Hal:** but do they work? I'm kind of curious  
**Ulf:** yeah give us insight into the female mind  
**Lydia:** urgh I'm not your token female friend BUT I will tell you guys this as a freebie. pickup lines are objectively bad. They never work  
**(Ulf** changed **Lydia** to **Token female friend)**  
**(Stig** changed **Ulf** to **guy about to get punched** and changed **Token female friend** to **Lydia)**  
**Edvin:** See, that's where you're wrong. Pickup lines may be bad or cheesy or groan worthy, but they can be effective 

**(The Chat where we complain about the romantic tension between Lydia and Edvin**  
**Hal:** who is this new and confident Edvin?  
**Stefan:** When has Edvin used pickup lines? Did he have a secret girlfriend?  
**Stig:** EDVIN HAS A SECRET GIRLFRIEND?  
**Ingvar:** No and no. No secret girlfriends for Edvin. Let this play out **)**

**Lydia:** I've never heard an effective pickup line  
**Edvin:** then you've never heard one of mine  
**Lydia:** yeah right  
**Edvin:** let me take you to coffee and I'll tell you some  
**Lydia:** nice try but that's not really a cheesy pickup line 

**(The Chat where we complain about the romantic tension between Lydia and Edvin**  
**Guy about to get punched:** WHO IS THIS MAN  
**Jesper:** it's like we aren't even here  
**Hal:** can they stop flirting in front of us?  
**Stig:** do you get this annoyed when Tecumsa and I kiss in front of you  
**Ingvar:** maybe  
**Wulf:** yeah  
**Jesper:** a little **)**

**Edvin:** Well do you think you could've done better?  
**Lydia:** now THIS is a pick up line for a med student  
**Lydia:** Can I take your temperature? You're looking a little hot  
**Edvin:**...  
**Edvin:**...  
**Lydia:** Are you going to say something or cat got your tongue?  
**Edvin:** you win  
**Lydia:** HAH 

**(The Chat where we complain about the romantic tension between Lydia and Edvin**  
**Jesper:**...  
**Stefan:** that's the worst pick up line I've ever heard  
**Stig:** bet Edvin liked it  
**Ingvar:** I'm sitting next to Edvin and can confirm that the line just broke him  
**Wulf:** haha I BET **)**

**_**Ingvar** has thrown **Wulf** out of the chat_**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lydia and Edvin as Katniss and Peeta. That is all.


	9. March

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia drags Edvin and Ingvar to her soccer game, the Herons race across campus for a scavenger hunt, and the Wolves blow off some steam with minor vandalizing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to @vallirenwrites for letting me use the characterizations of the Wolves! You should check out the piece   
> [**Run Like Wolves**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24392038)

Edvin's phone rang and he picked it up, wondering who would be calling him instead of texting. 

"Edvin, I need you and Ingvar or whoever to come down to the practice fields as quickly as you can wearing tennis shoes or preferably cleats." Lydia's voice was even-keeled but Edvin could detect a hint of desperation. Probably because she was calling him to play soccer. He hadn't played a game since fifth grade. 

"Wait, what? What is happening?" 

"My soccer team needs more bodies on the field!" barked Lydia. "Just get here quick."

She hung up and Edvin had only one thought running through his head.

"Lydia plays soccer?" he wondered aloud.  
~  
Ingvar and Edvin came running up to the soccer fields, puffing as they put their hands on their knees and rested. 

"We came as quick as we could," huffed out Ingvar. 

"I would just like to say that neither of us play soccer." 

Nina scoffed. "It's easy."

"Soccer is about getting in people's way and kicking the ball out of bounds. If you can't knock someone down, kick the ball out and whittle down the timer. We'll take care of the rest." Lydia explained and when Edvin looked over at Lotte for confirmation, he was greeted with a serious nod. 

Ingvar looked at Edvin and they both shrugged. How different could it really be from rowing or the exercises Thorn makes them do?  
~  
Soccer players were now at the top of the list of people Edvin respected along with fast food workers and healthcare workers. He had never seen so many elbows thrown or people shoved in one night. It had been completely different than the exercises Thorn made them do, but Edvin had to admit that the net exercises had helped. The Mountaineers were an intimidating team, but they had worked well together and Lydia had been the happiest Ingvar and Edvin had ever seen when she was smashing into people and passing the ball to Nina and Lotte. 

"What'd you think?" Nina asked Edvin. He could only raise a sore arm to give a thumbs up.  
~  
**The Mountaineers**  
**Nina:** Great game today ladies!  
**Lotte:** we crushed it out there!  
**Tanya:** thanks for bringing in Edvin and Ingvar to sub for us, Lydia.  
**Aida:** we'll whip em into shape but we needed bodies on the field.  
**Lydia:** no problem  
**Tanya:** Ingvar was cute  
**Nina:** Ingvar is a great guy  
**Nina:** Lydia only has eyes for Edvin. Y'all could double date  
**Elle:** can we focus on Lydia's epic corner kick though?  
**Lydia:** only if we talk about how you used it to make a header goal  
**Ehmani:** ladies ladies you're both amazing players  
**Tanya:** speak for yourself miss "I don't let goals in" goalie. Another perfect game  
~  
After a quick stop at the dining hall for spaghetti night, Ingvar, Lydia, and Edvin were walking back to the dorm apartments. It was a nice evening even if it was a bit cold for Lydia in her short-sleeve jersey. Without thinking, Edvin took off his jacket and handed it to her. He realized what he had done when Ingvar nudged him and he saw a faint pink blush on Lydia's cheeks. She didn't end up wearing the jacket all the way, merely letting it drape over her shoulders like a cape, and Edvin had to admire her stubborn determination to not let Skandian spring temperatures get to her.

Ingvar groaned when they got to the front of the dorm. "I'm going to be very sore tomorrow." 

"Tomorrow? Walking up the stairs is going to destroy me," complained Lydia. "That was a rough game."

"That's because you pushed those guys over and got like 5 fouls." Maybe arguing with the girl who had fouled people wasn't the smartest thing to do, but Edvin was pretty sure she wouldn't push him over. Maybe. He had given her his jacket so he was probably safe.

Lydia just groaned, which meant that he was right but she wasn't going to admit it. It was a mental victory for him. The trio walked into the common room and collapsed on the ratty couch and chairs in exhaustion. After a minute, Ingvar lifted his head up.

"Why didn't you tell us you were on a soccer team?" Lydia at least had the decency to look embarrassed. 

"It's just intramural." She also hadn't wanted to tell any of the boys. It was something she found at Skandia State all by herself and Lydia had kind of wanted to keep it like that. But now that Ingvar and Edvin knew, Lydia had to admit it was kind of fun having her friends know. 

"Just intramural? You guys killed it! Who cares if it's not on the school team?"

"When's your next game?"

"My next soccer game is next Thursday at 5." 

Stig happened to walk in right when Lydia finished. He stopped in his tracks and pumped his fist up. "Lydia has a soccer game next week? Heck yeah! Best believe we're coming!"

Edvin and Ingvar whooped and grinned while Lydia had a mild expression of shock on her face. Stig's cries went down the hallway and Lydia could hear faint echoes of Ulf and Wulf yelling back at Stig. 

Lydia threw a pillow at Ingvar, who ducked, and it hit Edvin right in the face. 

"Great, now they all know."  
~  
True to his word, Stig and most of the Herons (except Stefan who had play practice) showed up on the practice field sidelines, ready to cheer on Lydia. They had posters ready and Wulf had secured some pom-poms. The posters were mostly just cardboard signs with Lydia's name on them, but Stig had started a money pot for random shenanigans and they used part of the money to make a giant blown up photo of Lydia's face. Hal was carrying it and Lydia stopped dead on the field when she first saw it. 

"I hate you guys so much."

"You love us and you know it." Stig knew he was right when Lydia scowled and crossed her arms. 

The rest of Lydia's teammates ambled over, curious about the sight of a giant photo of Lydia and a surprising amount of people at an intramural soccer game.

"Yo, Nina's on this team!" Hal shouted with glee at the sight of his friend. 

Jesper cheered too. "Nina! We love you!"

"Am I chopped whale blubber to you? Show the rest of us some love!" yelled Lotte, her hands cupped over her mouth. 

"Lotte's here too? We love you too Lotte!" 

Lotte blew them a kiss right before the whistle blew and the girls had to jog onto the field to start the game.  
~  
After the game, Lydia came over to the sidelines after chugging the rest of her water bottle, slightly sweaty but smiling with a post-victory glow. Nina and Lotte were close behind her. 

"I can't believe you all came." Lydia sounded slightly out of breath and Edvin handed her another water bottle. She smiled in a sign of silent thanks.

"Come on, you showed up to all our brotherband stuff and you're our friend. Of course we'd come." Stig sounded indignant that it was even questioned that they would come.

"Speak for yourself," grumbled Ulf. "I'm only here to cheer on Nina."

Nina shoved Ulf with her shoulder lightly, enough to make him stumble. "If you come to our games, you cheer for everyone." 

"Yeah, okay." Ulf dodged the water bottle that Lydia threw at him and yelped when Lotte threw another one at him. "I said I'd cheer for everyone!"  
~  
**The Boneless Herons**  
**Jes:** alright, who's running the meme page?  
**Jes:** i'm not angry. i just wanna know  
**Hal:** lol is it because it posted that meme of you looking confused at your math homework  
**Ulf:** you replied pretty fast Hal. eager to take claim for it?  
**Wul:** you're pretty eager to deflect blame onto hal my dear brother  
**Ing:** i would know if Hal was doing it  
**Ste:** i think it's edvin. he's the quiet observant one  
**Edv:** ME? That's rich coming from the guy who spams us with memes  
**Ste:** I DON'T MAKE MEMES I SEND 'EM. YOU SEEM LIKE THE KIND OF GUY WHO MAKES MEMES ABOUT HIS FRIENDS  
**Sti:** the page uses y'all a lot. you know who uses y'all a lot? Lydia  
**Lyd:** oh REALLY  
**Sti:** yeah really! 

**(Ingvar to Jesper**  
**Ingvar:** just so we're clear, it's you who runs the meme page, right? You're just doing this for the chaos.  
**Jesper:** …yeah  
**Ingvar:** i'll accuse a twin. **)**

 **Ing:** not that it matters, but I think it's wulf  
**Wul:** TRAITOR  
~  
The second brotherband competition was a photo scavenger hunt, an event that sounded very cheesy to Lydia, but Skandia State loved it. Apparently it made for good recruitment photos. Edvin sincerely hoped that no one besides the judges would see the photos but he had a sinking feeling that the most embarrassing ones would find their way around campus. 

There was precisely an hour and a half until the brotherband teams had to be back at Vallas Hall and there was no time to waste. Lydia was waiting right outside the door for them and she practically pounced on them when the Herons came tearing outside, ready to go. She ripped the list out of Stig's hands and scanned it eagerly, her face falling as she read it.

"What kind of cockanamie hunt is this?" The list was shoved right back into Stig's hands.

Hal looked at her in confusion. "It's a photo scavenger hunt. What did you think it was going to be?"

"You've been talking about this "hunt" for days. I wore camo for this! I thought we were hunting down Tursgurd." Lydia hadn't yet had a real conversation with Tursgurd but sometimes you didn't need to talk with a person to dislike them. There was a code Lydia had that said, with reasonable exceptions, your friend's enemies are your enemies too. Plus Tursgurd sounded like a jerk in all the stories so she was confident in her dislike and ready to confront him. The thought was thrilling but terrifying to Hal. 

"That's kind of on us but we clearly told you in September that it was a photo scavenger hunt."

Lydia scoffed. "Luckily for you, I'm a great hunter regardless if it's an actual hunt or not."

Edvin flashed back to the nature preserve and shuddered. He didn't doubt it. This was a competition and Lydia was terrifying when it came to games. 

Stig held the piece of paper and squinted at it. "There are some dumb things we need to get pictures of."

"Like what?" asked Wulf. 

"The biggest body of water we can find, a team member with as many glasses as they can fit on their head, a picture of the Magyaran turtle, and many more." 

Edvin cursed Erak and his desire for cheap recruitment pictures. Why have a professional take nice and flattering pictures of Skandia State when you can make your students do it for free?  
~  
The hour and a half was almost up and the Herons had gotten most of the items on the list. The only item that had proved to be any real trouble so far was the whale statue since the members of the Bungall dorm weren't too happy about everyone bursting into their lobby and taking pictures of their mascot. The last item however was giving them even more trouble.

"We need a picture of a security guard!" Ingvar was waving the wet list around in a futile attempt to dry it off. The Herons were under the dorm patio trying to find a security guard that they could get a picture with. 

"It's 7 on a friday night and it's raining! There aren't going to be any around!" cried Edvin.

"Where's a security guard when you need them?" Ulf could have told his brother that they never needed security guards but wisely decided that now was not the time for jokes. 

Jesper peered into the mist. "Wait, I think I see one in the golf cart!"

Protests started on several mouths but there was no time to waste. Jesper started sprinting and the rest followed him. They found that Jesper had indeed seen a golf cart, but there was no security officer around.

"Why is there an abandoned golf cart? Shouldn't there be a campus safety officer?" Lydia had serious concerns about Skandia State and it's security, but on the bright side, this probably meant she could be less careful when sneaking into the nature preserve.

"Screw it," cried Stefan. "Jes, gimme your windbreaker and Ulf, gimme your hat."

Ulf and Jesper dutifully handed over the pieces of clothing and Stefan put them on. He hopped onto the golf cart and turned so his back was facing the group. 

"No one has to know," and Stig snapped the picture. No one would be able to tell the difference. 

"It's not cheating because we were security guards for the Andomal in high school and they never took my badge away."

"I'm pretty sure they did."

"Jesper stole mine and his back so..."

"Y'all had a weird high school." No one argued with Lydia; Hallasholm High was a weird place.

What's the last item?

Stig read off the piece of paper. "A picture of someone proposing bonus points if there are reactions and multiple proposals."

That sounded easy enough if a little embarrassing. 

"Ok, we're gonna have a double proposal. Hal and Stig and Lyd and Edvin." 

"But I wanna propose to Jesper!"

Ulf flapped an impatient arm at Stefan. "Just get in the photo!"

Stefan immediately got down on one knee and so did Stig. Edvin's face was flaming but he was about to get down on one knee when Lydia beat him to it. 

"You snooze, you lose." Edvin looked away, unable to look Lydia in the eye. 

Wulf was in between the three couples looking utterly delighted at the proposals. Ingvar pretended to cry in delight at his friends getting fake engaged. 

Ulf snapped the picture and motioned for everyone to get up. "Come on! There's no time to lose!"  
~  
The Herons raced back to the Vallas lecture hall and Hal slammed down his phone on the podium. 

"We're here!" he announced to the empty room. The Herons looked around wildly, dripping rain on the carpet. There was no sign anyone had ever been in this room.

"Where is everyone?" wondered Ingvar. 

"Are we super early?" Surely the Wolves wouldn't have been late, thought Stefan, had they misread the time?

Hal's phone pinged and the sound filled the team with dread. Something was wrong. 

**Rollond to Hal**  
**Rollond:** Where are you guys? Photo judging is about to start in 2 minutes!  
**Hal:** WHERE ARE YOU  
**Rollond:** Starfollower auditorium like the sign said. Did you not see the sign?  
**Rollond:** Hal, did Tursgurd leave the sign? Did he take the sign to mess with you?  
**Rollond:** Did you see the sign? Please tell me you saw the sign.  
**Rollond:** I'll talk to the judges and see if they'll cut you some slack  
**Rollond:** Judges aren't expanding the time  
**Rollond:** I will murder Tursgurd  
**Rollond:** This isn't cool. The boys and I will get him back, don't worry.  
~  
The Herons hadn't gotten to the auditorium in time and despite Rollond's plea for more time, the deadline stayed the same and Hal and his team were disqualified for this round. They couldn't prove Tursgurd had taken down the sign (even though it was obvious he had) and Professor Borsa had been unrelenting.

Outside, Hal and the Herons stood dumbfoundedly, wallowing in their loss. Lydia actually spit on the ground in disgust. Now she really did hate Tursgurd.

"Just because Tursgurd's dad donates lots of money to the school doesn't mean he can do stuff like this." As Stefan raged against Tursgurd and his dad, Hal noticed Rollond motioning for him to come join him and the Wolves. Hal shook his head no, he had no desire to talk with the Wolves right now, and Rollond shook his head in exasperation. The other captain jogged over and Hal reluctantly met him halfway across the lawn. 

As upset as Hal was, he couldn't be that mad at Rollond. The guy had told him where the new meeting was and he wasn't Tursgurd so that was a plus. 

"Hal, I just wanted to say that what Tursgurd did was messed up and I'm going to have strong words with the Sharks," Rollond gritted his teeth and Hal could almost swear he muttered "Karl" under his breath. "Regardless, the Wolves just wanted to let you guys know that you had some cool and creative pics and you should have beaten Tursgurd." 

Unable to keep some of his bitterness from flowing in, Hal sighed. "Thanks Rollond, you had some cool pictures too. It stinks how Tursgurd has been able to mess up everything."

"He's only doing it because he thinks you're a threat." Rollond waved away Hal's protests. "I'm right and you know it. Anyway, the Wolves have your backs and we've got a plan in motion to get back at Tursgurd."

Hal could only stare at Rollond. Who was this man? 

Rollond merely winked in response and started to jog back to the Wolves. "Think of it as a good old fashioned Skandia State raid."  
~  
"Um, so I think Rollond's planning a hit on Tursgurd and the Sharks. Like, I think Rollond might actually murder Tursgurd." Hal came back to the dejected Herons with news no one could have expected. 

"You know, I never saw Rollond as the vengeful type." Stig mused out loud. He was angry over Tursgurd's actions and if he thought about it for too long, Stig would go crazy with fury so Rollond getting revenge was a much better subject to think about.

Wulf shook his head. "I could see it. He's too much of a goody-goody not to be hiding something." 

"Would you go on a date with him now?" Jesper directed a sly glance at Lydia.

Lydia pursed her lips like she was considering it. "Would you go on a date with someone who sent out Skandian mafia hits, Jesper?"

Edvin noted she hadn't answered the question.

"If you're asking if I'd date Rollond, heck yeah I'd date Rollond. What kind of question is that?"

Ingvar looked at Stefan. "You're okay with him saying that?"

Stefan scoffed. "He's not saying anything we haven't discussed before."

"Gross, can we not talk about dating one of our competitors?" scowled Hal. "I don't wanna think about tonight."

"Are you saying you've never thought about dating Rollond?"

Wulf immediately piped up. "Heck no, he's too goody goody for me." 

"I've never thought about dating anyone much less Rollond, the captain of our opposing team!" shouted Hal.

Lydia was nodding. "Never lose sight of your true goal, Hal: winning the competition and making dope boats."

"Plus I'm committed to Kloof and the Heron."

Jesper lifted up a fist. "I know that and I respect that."  
~  
**Rollond to Hal**  
**Rollond:** Dell and Anton came up with a good plan to annoy the Sharks  
**Rollond:** It isn't much, but it's the least we can do.  
**Rollond:** This is just the start  
~  
It's 2:30 am, exactly seven hours after the photo hunt, and in the darkness, a group of roughly ten people could be seen sneaking into one of the nearby neighborhoods. The Wolves had come to wreck their revenge on the Sharks and they stood in a huddle in front of a house that belonged to a certain cheating bully. 

"Everyone, stay quiet and be quick." Dell had taken charge of this mission rather than Rollond. Sometimes you needed someone willing to break a few laws to properly tick a bully off and Dell was exactly the type of guy who would commit light to minor crime for a friend. Most of the Skandia State students would, but Dell especially knew that the Wolves had an axe to grind with Tursgurd. He did too.

Dell kept whispering. "We've got the washable paint, the sharks, forks, and toilet paper. Go crazy but stick to the plan. This has to be perfect."

Henjak was the first one to grab the supplies from Dell's backpack and he passed out the paint on toilet paper to everyone else. Keld immediately started sticking the plastic forks into the lawn with alarming gusto. The rest of the Wolves slid apart to all four corners of the lawn. Rollond and Dell took the trees and bushes, Jens had the plastic sharks at the front, and Torval and Vali had the paint ready to go on the house.

Almost immediately, the plan went off the rails. Torval had gone straight for the door and sprayed an impressive amount of shaving cream on the step. "This is for Hal." He whispered as the can was emptied and tossed away. 

"Bjorn, what are you doing?" mouthed Henjak. Bjorn was sticking some forks in the middle of the Sharks's neighbor's house. "That's the wrong house!"

Bjorn raced back to the safety of the yard. "That's my dumb cousin's house."

"The one who gave you a swirly last year?"

"Yeah. When Floki and his friends see the forks and sharks in their yard and see the same one's in Tursgurd's yard, they're gonna think it was Tursgurd who put them there and hopefully they'll yell at each other."

"That's genius. Gimme more of that TP."

Bjorn tossed Henjak a roll and Henjak hurled it into the tree. Tursgurd had made one too many remarks for this small act not to be personal. It was an alien object in the sky, stark white against the dark navy night as the roll unraveled all around the cardboard. 

Across the lawn, Jens hissed at Anton. "When in Gorlog's name did you bring spray paint?"

Anton ignored the question and continued to shake the can. "Tursgurd has been a bully for years and I never get to let out steam through crimes. Of course I was going to bring spray paint." 

With a practiced eye and hand. Anton painted a big fish on the driveway and drew a giant red "X" through it. 

"Wait, wait. Sign it 'Floki and the boys'" 

"You really hate your cousin, don't you?" Bjorn shrugged in response. He had nothing to say other than "Yeah."

"Should we be doing this?" asked Frey even as he stuck forks into the lawn with Keld. He knew the answer to his question and it was a resounding "yes". For all the bullying Tursgurd and his friends had done over the years, this was the least they could do in return.  
~  
When the Wolves were done, they gazed in satisfaction at the mess they had created. Tursgurd's house and lawn had been completely covered in toilet paper, forks, paint, and a couple other items that had snuck in there. Bjorn's cousin's driveway had gotten the treatment too and the bright red spray paint stuck out even in the night. 

"We could have been a lot more devious about this," whispered Dell, his voice full of restrained longing and regret. "We could get them kicked out of the competition."

Rollond placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I know buddy, I know, but we're better than them."

"Speak for yourself," Jens replied. "I'm loving this."

"They had it coming," said Vali. "You can only escape the Wolves so many times before we come back to bite you." 

Everyone turned to look at Vali in admiration. "That was a powerful line." said Frey.

"Thanks," they said. "I've been waiting all year to use it."  
~  
**Stefan to Edvin**  
**Stefan:** you still wanna create that ballad together?  
**Edvin:** heck yeah  
**Stefan:** I'm getting credit for this project so we technically have to have Svengal as our mentor  
**Edvin:** that's less fun  
**Edvin:** but I'm still in  
**Stefan:** I'm thinking something like "The mighty fighting Herons" and rhyming daring with it  
**Edvin:** 1\. I like it so far and 2. Herons and daring doesn't rhyme...  
**Stefan:** that was Jesper's contribution. It could be a slant rhyme?  
**Edvin:** hmmmm it could work  
**Edvin:** we should record it and play the song at the boat race  
**Stefan:** Edvin u bloody genius I love you

 **The Ballad Bards**  
**Stefan:** Wulf, Ulf do you think you could make us an album cover?  
**Ulf:** for what?  
**Edvin:** The Mighty Fighting Herons  
**Stefan:** I'm thinking us in our bed racing costumes in front of the golf cart I stole  
**Wulf:** we can make it work  
**Ulf:** how much money are we getting?  
**Stefan:** uhhhh $7 and I'll do my Tursgurd impression  
**Wulf:** Deal  
**Ulf:** sucker we would have done it for free


	10. April

**The Boneless Herons**  
 **Sting:** hah Edvin's knitting by the fireplace like an old lady   
**Ulfrik:** is he wearing slippers and a cap?  
 **Stephen:** making your grandchildren sweaters are we now Edvin?  
 **Lydie:** stop teasing Edvin. If he wants to knit, he can knit without any of you nitwits commenting on it   
**Ingvos:** nice pun   
**Lydie:** What pun?  
 **Halt:** wait can you knit us matching Heron hats   
**Edvard:** I thought you all said knitting was an old lady thing  
 **Edvard:** Now who's laughing?   
**Edvard:** you made fun of that beard I knitted for medieval worlds, but the joke's on you now.  
 **Wulfrik:** YOU COULD HAVE GROWN A BEARD YOU DIDN'T NEED TO KNIT A FAKE ONE FOR YOUR HISTORICAL REENACTMENT CLASS GAME   
**Edvard:** You KNOW IT TAKES ME A LONG TIME TO GROW A NICE BEARD I COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT PROPERLY FOR A WEEK LONG GAME EVEN IF I WANTED TO   
**Jester:** In Edvin's defense, I knew people in the class and they said that game got intense   
**Jester:** someone got accused of having an affair with the emperor's wife and the accuser ended up getting accused of being the one who was actually having the affair. I heard someone brought a legit sword to class  
 **Lydie:** what is wrong with the classes at Skandia State? We didn't have this at Limmat   
**Ulfrik:** you didn't have a lot of things at Limmat lol  
 **Lydie:** that's true. I saw jello for the first time on this campus   
**Wulfrik:** YOU DON'T HAVE JELLO IN LIMMAT???   
**Jester:** GORLOG'S FANCY HEELED BOOTS   
**Halt:** you're joking, you have to be joking  
 **Lydie:** no? We don't have jello in Limmat and tbh it's better that way. It's a trash dessert  
 **Edvard:** remember the time I first showed you jello? At the dessert line and you had no idea what it was  
 **Lydie:** yeah seeing that rainbow jello tripped me up for days  
 **Sting:** ????? What is happening right now   
**Ingvos:** my world is collapsing   
**Halt:** do we know any other Limmatans who could confirm this?   
**Ulfrik:** what kind of dumb state doesn't have jello?   
**Lydie:** Gilan's been to Limmat but that's it. I guess y'all could check with him   
~  
 **Unknown number to Gilan Davidson**  
 **Unknown number:** do they have jello in Limmat?   
**Gilan:** who is this? How did you get my number?   
**Unknown number:** answer the question. btw it's Hal Mikkelson from Skandia State. I think our moms know each other? Karina Mikkelson.  
 **Gilan:** gimme a sec :/

**(Gilan to Lydia**  
 **Gilan:** someone is texting me asking if they have jello in Limmat. How should I answer?   
**Lydia:** how do you think you should answer?   
**Gilan:** ah okay got it ok hand emoji  
 **Gilan:** lying it is **)**

**Gilan to Hal**  
 **Gilan:** sorry, had to double check with my chef fiance. We went to Limmat for a conference a couple years ago and she remembered the food scene better than I did   
**Gilan:** she says no jello   
**Hal:** is she positive?   
**Gilan:** Are you doubting my fiance? Punk kid; this is everything that's wrong with your generation  
 **Hal:** no no I'm sure your fiance is a great chef   
**Gilan:** you're darn tootin she is. The gall of you  
 **Gilan:** she said it's kind of famous for that actually in the dessert world   
**Hal:** wow Lydia wasn't lying.   
**Gilan:** apparently our moms do know each other?   
**Gilan:** they waitressed together for a couple years and apparently you remember coworkers when they date a guy named Mikkel Mikkelson   
**Hal:** I was going to be Mikkel Fastblade Mikkelson III but my mom vetoed that name  
 **Gilan:** probably for the best

**Lydia to Edvin**  
 **Lydia:** I love that you immediately picked up on what I was doing and played along   
**Lydia:** you sold it   
**Edvin:** haha thanks. I remember you tried to tell me that you didn't have gogurts in Limmat and figured it was the same type of thing   
**Lydia:** but we don't have gogurts in Limmat   
**Edvin:** haha very funny   
**Edvin:** Lydia? Lydia?   
**Edvin:** you do have gogurts, right? In Limmat?   
**Edvin:** Lydia please this isn't funny anymore   
~  
Tug of war was the next brotherband event and everyone was especially eager to get the chance to go against the Sharks. Stig and Ingvar had been going to the gym daily and several other Herons joined them. The worst part was Thorn's exercises and practices that he made them do since he had participated in the competition all those years ago. 

To say the Herons weren't interested was an understatement. 

"We've had almost all of April to practice for tug of war. We don't have to spend our free Friday lifting weights." Hal's complaint would have been more effective if they'd actually spent the month getting ready for tug of war and not focusing on obviously less important stuff like tests and internships. Thorn knew that they hadn't been practicing and Hal knew that Thorn knew they hadn't been practicing. Still, it was hard to fault the group for doing the right thing and focusing on school. 

"What would you rather be doing? I know you're going to say working on the Heron," Hal shut his mouth and lowered his hand. "But if you don't do well in tug of war, it won't matter how well you do in the race."

"Yeah, but the sailing race is only a week after tug of war. We have to be ready." 

"Back in my day…" Thorn started to drawl and everyone braced themselves for a lecture. 

"...we killed dinosaurs with our bare hands," finished Lydia. Thorn waved his hook at her in an attempt to stop the interruptions. 

"Close. We lifted rocks and ran through nets to get in shape for tug of war."

"Geez, how old are you?" Thorn ignored Lydia's question and continued to yell at the Herons.

"So I'm making you run through nets because that's what my coach did to me and I swore that when I became a coach, I would do the same. Plus it's a good way to increase your agility and speed." Thorn added offhandedly. 

"Are you just making us move the rocks so you don't have to?"

Thorn scratched his chin. "Maybe. Now get to it."

Lydia and Thorn watched as the Herons lugged piles of rocks across the net. 

"It's pretty nice to watch people lug rocks for you."

"It really is," Thorn agreed.

After half an hour had gone by, Thorn took pity on the boys and called for a water break. They collapsed in a heap and looked up at Thorn and Lydia. 

"Tug of war is by the nature preserve and I want all of you to go there and scope it out as a mental break."

"Some mental break," whispered Stig. "Still have to do tactics."

"Don't make me force you to run to the preserve."

The threat of running was enough to shut everyone up and Ulf and Wulf in particular took great pleasure in slowly ambling towards the nature preserve across campus. It was a beautiful April day and as they walked through the sunny preserve, Lydia took pleasure in pointing out all the animals they came across. This was her territory now. 

They stopped by the small lake in the middle of the woods and gazed out on the water. 

"Remember when you tried to walk on the ice?" 

Stefan was about to yell up into the air that the dare hadn't been his fault when Lydia wrapped her hand around his mouth. 

"Shhh you guys! Look over there!" The boys followed Lydia's pointed finger across the lake when they saw a large heron fishing in the water. 

"That's a good sign right there." And Hal was right. Seeing a heron eat a fish, symbolic of a shark, the day before tug of war? It meant Tursgurd would go down. 

The moment was nice enough until Ulf broke it. "We should have named ourselves the Pelicans. Those are some dope birds."

"The Pelicans," Wulf tried the name out, stretching it around his mouth. "The peeeelicans. Yeha, that's a better name than the Herons."

That was enough for Ingvar who strode forward and tossed both the twins into the lake. They spluttered around for a few minutes, splashing around in the water before they climbed onto the bank and glared at Ingvar. 

"Really?" 

Ingvar shrugged. "You asked for it." 

Stig wasn't amused by the antics. "Get it together guys. We have to win this event. The race is worth more points but that won't help us if we don't win tug of war."

"Seeing the fish just makes me want to fry some tilapia." At least Edvin's honest thoughts were more intelligent than talking about renaming the team after a pelican. 

Lydia looked at Edvin. "Is it weird that I've never had some of your food? I've had cookies and stuff, but not actual meals." 

"Maybe one day I'll make you a proper dinner." 

"It's a date" 

Hal groaned. "Oh my gosh, please stop flirting in front of all of us."  
~  
Gort was already there blowing his whistle at the poor kinesiology students dragging the bleachers by the back of the preserve. Every few seconds, a shrill whistle came blowing out of Gort's mouth. Tursgurd and the Sharks were leaving the area when they came. They sneered at the Herons and Hal had to place a comforting hand on Stig's arm. 

Stig couldn't resist lobbing one last insult as Tursgurd and the Sharks walked by. Tursgurd didn't even acknowledge the Herons with a look. Ragi and Ennit stopped and scowled, ready to throw fists. 

Karl was the one who stopped them, tugging on their shirts and saying "Let's go to the gym."

They reluctantly followed Karl and Sig spit on the ground as they passed. He still hadn't forgotten about the rotten pumpkin.

Jesper slapped Pedra a high five as they passed. "Are you still on for poker night?"

"You bet bro!" whispered Pedra, running to keep up with the Sharks. 

Lydia turned to Jesper. "You play poker with Pedra?"

"You bet Blarney's stinky toenail I do! Pedra may be the enemy but he's a good poker player and we beat freshmen and take their winnings."

"You scam freshmen out of their money?"

"You mean to tell me you don't?" 

Stefan covered his ears. "Geez, does Gort ever stop blowing that whistle?" 

One of the kinesiology students heard him as she was going by and shook her head. "No, no he doesn't." 

The Herons winced in sympathy, but drew their attention back to Stig who was trying to see if there were any good strategies they could use. It didn't seem like they'd be able to win it. 

"The only possible advantage we might have is that Knut has that hurt foot."

"That's only one man and they have a two person lead over us." Stefan had a point and the mood dimmed considerably. 

"Hal, you're the idea man. Jesper, you're sneaky. What do you think we should do?"

Hal looked at the Sharks for a long time, then he stared into the woods for an even longer time. Everyone knew to keep silent when Hal was concocting up his schemes. The birds chirped around them and Gort's whistle blew several more times, destroying the illusion of nature around them. 

"What type of bird is that?" Hal pointed a finger towards a small bird perched on a nearby tree branch. 

"Mockingbird," offered Wulf and Lydia at the same time. Wulf shrugged his shoulders when everyone turned to look at him. 

"I like birds. Don't know why it matters to the competition tomorrow though."

Hal ignored Wulf's statement and turned to Jesper.

"Do you think you can pick Gort's pocket?"

Jesper grinned. "It's like you read my mind."  
~  
 **The Boneless Herons**  
 **Captain Hal:** we good with the plan for tomorrow?  
 **Weapons Master Ingvar:** Yep.  
 **Loose Cannon Ulf:** roger roger   
**Formerly Reformed Thief Jesper:** a-ok  
 **Second in Command Stig:** I'm a little iffy but if you guys think it'll work, I'm down   
**Healer/Cook Edvin:** Jesper and Ingvar can pull it off if we act our butts off   
**Pirate Stefan:** just follow my lead   
**Deck Boy Wulf:** makes sense   
~  
"That was absolutely brilliant!"

"Ingvar, you absolute unit!" 

"I'm never going to forget Tursgurd's face."

"Edvin lying to a professor? It's more likely than you think!"

"Thorn caught it on camera; he sent me the video. We gotta see it!"

Karina came barreling up and swept both Thorn and Hal into a giant hug. She motioned for the rest of the Herons to join in as well. They had won the tug of war competition, beating the Wolves and thoroughly thrashing the Sharks

"Celebration at our house, come on!"  
~  
Karina had ordered ahead several pizzas (she had been very confident in their victory) and a feast was waiting for them at the Mikkelson household alongside a drooling Kloof. 

An old projector got pulled out and somehow Hal rigged it to play the video on his phone. Thorn had captured the rest of the tug of wars, but the main event was the Herons vs the Sharks. Everyone was dying to relive it.

The tug of war game started out normally until a whistle was blown and both teams collapsed, everyone falling to the ground except Ingvar who ran with all his might and pulled the Herons to victory. 

"Wait, Thorn, pause it." Jesper leaped up and pointed at the screen where he was stumbling into Gort. 

"This is where you can see me putting the whistle back into Gort's pocket."

Everyone peered at the screen and Ingvar stood up and leaned in even closer than he already was. All they could see was Jesper stumbling into Professor Gort.

"I can't see anything," wondered Stig. "When'd you make the switch?"

"I'm kidding. You think you'd be able to see me pickpocket something?" Everyone had to admit Jesper was right. 

"Can you zoom in on Tursgurd's face? I want to see the exact moment he turns purple."

"Tell us exactly how it went down." Thorn and Karina hadn't been told about the plan just so there was a case of plausible deniability and they were dying to know exactly how it had gone down.

Hal stood up not so reluctantly after being prodded by Edvin and Ulf. 

"We couldn't have done it without our resident pickpocket who borrowed Gort's whistle right off his person and placed it back on him without a single person noticing." Jesper bowed while everyone clapped. 

"And of course we couldn't have done it without Ingvar who carried this team on his back, literally!" Ingvar waved his hand high like the queen and smiled as Stig pounded him on the back. 

Karina raised her pop can and motioned for everyone to do the same. "To your victory today and another successful victory in the future!"

Everyone cheered and Stefan started to pull up Netflix for a round of movie binging. Chairs shuffled around and somehow Edvin's plate of pizza got pushed to the floor. Sighing, he got up to go to the kitchen to grab another. Behind him, Lydia got up out of her chair to probing looks from Stefan and Stig.  
~  
In the kitchen, Lydia handed Edvin a piece of pepperoni and sausage pizza before he could grab it for himself. He smiled at her and handed her a piece of cheese pizza in retaliation. 

Lydia wrinkled her nose. "Bleh, cheese. I at least gave you a piece with actual toppings." Her disgust apparently did not prevent her from taking a bite. 

Edvin held up his piece in the "cheers" gesture and Lydia returned the favor. 

"Nice kitchen, isn't it?" As soon as he said it, Edvin kicked himself. Talking about the kitchen? Really? When there were a million other cooler things he could have said instead?

Lydia didn't seem to mind though. She looked around in mock seriousness, her gaze landing on the ladened dining room table. It was a hodgepodge of different woods and carvings and Lydia was pretty sure it had a spiky metal leg.

"It is a good kitchen and that's a unique table."

Edvin chuckled. He knew exactly where that table had come from. "It's a collaboration between Ikea and Hal Mikkelson."

Understanding dawned on her face. "Don't tell me–"

"Yep, this is the table that started Hal's love for Ikea. Of course, he disregarded most of the instructions and built it himself, but the love is there."

"Wow, I feel like I shouldn't be leaning on this piece of history."

Edvin laughed and so did Lydia, but she quieted down after a second. 

"That was a genius move out there." She leaned against the rickety table, frowning slightly at the way it wobbled. 

"What? The mockingbird line? That was a team effort, no big deal."

Lydia got real close to Edvin and it freaked him out a little bit. "Look at me." She grabbed his face and angled it towards her. "Really look at me."

He couldn't not look into her eyes after that and they were a mesmerizing dark brown. Edvin suddenly remembered a study he'd read ages ago about couples spending 3 minutes staring into each other's eyes. Somehow he didn't think that was where this was going. 

"You are a talented member of the Herons and you, Edvin Fredrikson, are just as valuable as Hal and his crummy pile of planks." 

Any words Edvin had to say died as he stared at Lydia's grim set mouth. She was being dead serious and the intensity of her care made him feel like his feet were stuck to the floor. 

"I know the other guys might be stronger or better inventors or funnier than you, but you hold this weird group of friends together and you need to stop belittling yourself and your accomplishments." 

Lydia let go of his face and stepped away. Her face was the same shade as the solo cup Edvin had dropped on the ground and it only got redder as she kissed Edvin on the cheek and walked away. 

Edvin slowly reached up a hand to his face and felt it touch his burning cheek. Now he really did feel like a statue; Mrs. Mikkelson was going to have to maneuver around him from now on because there was no way Edvin was ever moving from this spot.  
~  
 **Lydia to Ingvar**  
 **Lydia:** Will you pretend to be my fake boyfriend so I can get a free pretzel at my favorite Limmat bakery? Fair warning: the drive will be several hours round trip  
 **Ingvar:** That is not something I ever thought I'd hear you say but okay. Can you explain though?  
 **Ingvar:** It's not Valentine's day or anything. Why would couples get a free pretzel?  
 **Lydia:** ugggghhh this is so embarrassing   
**Lydia:** It's not a couples discount. It's national soft pretzel month and the bakery will give you a free pretzel if you say the code word at your purchase and I love their pretzels  
 **Ingvar:** so you just need the code word? I don't have it  
 **Lydia:** who do you think I am? I have the code word this isn't amatuer hour  
 **Lydia:** it's just there's this guy Barat who kept telling everyone that we were gonna date back when I went to Limmat U and it's so stupid because I could beat him up but if I go back with a boyfriend, word will get back to him and he might back off once and for all. I haven't been back since the summer and people HAVE been gossiping about me, I know it.   
**Lydia:** And you're the most physically intimidating guy I know. You could snap Stig like a twig and demolish any gossipy townspeople   
**Ingvar:** I have been known to stop karens from asking to speak to the manager.  
 **Ingvar:** Thank you for telling me and for trusting me.   
**Ingvar:** It is taking all my incredible patience and strength not to hunt down this guy and beat him up.   
**Lydia:** honestly me too. Would a pretzel help?  
 **Ingvar:** that sounds great.   
~  
 **Ingvar to Lydia**  
 **Ingvar:** Not that it's any of my business because it's not, but why didn't you ask Edvin to be your fake boyfriend?  
 **Lydia:** …   
**Ingvar:** I didn't mind at all but it's pretty clear that you two like each other and you've known him just as long as you've known me.  
Lydia: You are too observant for your own good  
 **Ingvar:** It's my lack of decent eyesight that makes me so perceptive   
**Lydia:** eye roll emoji   
**Lydia:** Edvin is like the perfect guy. Perfect family, a good career path, cooks and knits, and he has his life together. I have no idea what I'm doing with my life, no family, my emotional well-being is average, and I don't want to scare him off   
**Ingvar:** Lyds, you're part of my family now. Heck, Karina and Thorn have practically adopted you. Your grandpa may no longer be with you, but you do have family and you are loved.   
**Ingvar:** Total tone change, but as Edvin's roommate and dear friend, I can say you will not scare him off   
**Ingvar:** and if it makes you feel any better, Edvin tries to present a put together image around you because he wants to impress you  
 **Ingvar:** He's just as much a mess as the rest of us. I'll tell you about the freshman year hot dog incident sometime  
 **Lydia:** Thanks Ingvar  
 **Lydia:** Gorlog how are you so wise?  
 **Ingvar:** not wise. Just a friend who will listen  
 **Ingvar:** Edvin would be a good person to tell if you're comfortable with that  
 **Ingvar:** he has scalpels so he'd be fine with stabbing Barat


	11. May

**Hal to Torval**  
**Hal:** how's the ship going?  
**Torval:** pretty good. wby?  
**Hal:** not as quick as I'd like it to be  
**Torval:** you'd get more done if you slept more  
**Hal:** I work best at 2 am with cups of coffee surrounding me  
**Torval:** I'm pretty sure science disproved that  
~  
**Torval to Hal**  
**Torval:** our mast broke  
**Hal:** oh no. Can I help replace it or do anything? I think we might still have some left over mast planks idk if they'll be the size you want but better than nothing  
**Torval:** thanks but we're bowing out  
**Hal:** what? Why? I can't believe I'm saying this but don't drop out  
**Torval:** our ship broke five days before the big race and tbh none of us Wolves were into it like you and the sharks were. It's just not worth it to continue.  
**Hal:** I'm sorry to hear that, truly.  
**Hal:** even if it's not for the race, you still want help repairing the Sea Wolf? We could put a real engine in the wooden frame and made it a modern boat with a sailboat appearance  
**Torval:** that sounds great actually  
~  
**Finer Things and Social Activities Chat**  
**Lydia:** I was told this was the place to take my request  
**Wulf:** hmmm, maybe. What is it?  
**Lydia:** Star Wars marathon. Saturday. All day. In costumes. Lightsabers. Snacks. May the 4th.  
**Edvin:** hmmmm. But the race is a couple days after that.  
**Lydia:** It'll be a good distraction. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy  
**Edvin:** I'm down 

**(Wulf to Ingvar**  
**Wulf:** your roommate is such a pushover  
**Ingvar:** I don't see you saying no to Lydia  
**Wulf:** that's different. It's because I'm a little scared of her and not because I'm halfway in love with her and you know it **)**

**Ingvar:** a deliberation, this is.  
**Wulf:** good and enough fancy, is it?  
**Lydia:** the fact that you are using yoda talk makes me think it isn't a deliberation  
**Lydia:** Wulf I know for a fact that you have a jar jar onesie.  
**Wulf:** ok we can have a sw marathon  
~  
"Where are they?" scowled Stefan. "Lydia was the one to suggest this marathon in the first place."

"Chill out man, she texted a minute ago to say she'd be here in five minutes."

"Besides, Jesper isn't back with the snacks anyway."

Just as Stig finished speaking, Jesper burst through the doors wearing an orange jumpsuit and carrying an armful of goodies. 

"The best pilot in the galaxy has arrived!" crowed Jesper. "Poe Dameron in the house!"

Hal crossed his arms. "I didn't destroy the Death Star for this slander."

Jesper looked around at the group approvingly. "Nice get-ups everybody. Wulf, love the onsie. Ulf, you are no dashingly handsome Ewan McGregor but still good work," Ulf flashed a thumbs up, "Stig, love the helmet and cape, you are tall, darth, and deadly. Ingvar, love the Mandolorian costume, but Stefan, you aren't baby Yoda, just old Yoda."

"There was no way I was going as baby Yoda and having Ingvar carry me around all the time," grumbled Stefan. 

"But baby Yoda is so cute!" Those were practically fighting words within the Herons as the infant had divided the group over whether it was cute or not. Stig realized his mistake and let his words die off. It wasn't worth it to restart this conversation.

Ulf muttered to Wulf. "Five bucks on Lydia and Edvin as Han Solo and Leia."

"You're on."

Jesper and Hal were continuing their argument from before. "Poe is definitely the best pilot; Luke was more of a jedi."

"Again, I destroyed the death star," Hal crossed his arms. "So I'm the best pilot in the galaxy."

"I'm the best pilot in the galaxy." A new, commanding voice interrupted their bickering. "No one beats the Millennium Falcon."

The voice rang out from behind the door and Lydia and Edvin stepped into the room and paused, letting their friends take a good look at them. Wulf wordlessly slipped Ulf the five bucks. 

Lydia and Edvin were standing back to back, pistols held up in both their hands. Lydia had on a white shirt with a blue vest, wearing her typical leggings, and Edvin was dressed in an all white get up with two buns stuck to the sides of his head. 

"Are we getting this party started or what?" asked Edvin, dressed in the best Princess Leia costume he could make.

"I've got a bad feeling about this party," quipped Lydia. "Feels like Cloud City before Vader comes, but we should enjoy it anyway."

It only took a second for the Herons to snap out of their haze and grab the snacks. Thorn had let them get out of practice early due to the holiday and they weren't about to waste it. They could talk about those particular costume choices later in the special chat.  
~  
The fateful day finally arrives and the lake is packed with swarms of people eager to see the Sharks and the Herons face off. From their spot on the shore, the Herons could see their parents, the Wolves, and their friends in the crowd. Ingvar and the others had thought they had gotten to the lake fairly early on as competitors, but Hal had beaten them to the lake and greeted them with "Where have you guys been? I've been here for two hours." 

"Gorlog and Orlog, how much sleep did you get?" It wasn't particularly early in the day, but all the Herons knew that Hal's extreme time schedule was proportionally related to the amount of sleep he got and Ulf was concerned to say the least. For once, though, everyone was wrong. 

"I got a full nine hours of sleep last night and I ate a full hearty breakfast today. You thought I wouldn't be in peak condition for the boat race? Hah!" Hal lovingly ran a hand over the linen tarp over the Heron.

"So what have you been doing for the past two hours?" wondered Jesper. 

Thorn appeared out of nowhere and butted in. "He's been putting the final touches on the boat." 

Hal scowled at this betrayal. "Everything has to go perfect."

"It will, don't worry." Stig's words were simple but comforting. "You wanna go get a quick hotdog before we get ready?"

The Herons eagerly followed Stig toward the hotdog stand and Stefan had to practically drag Hal away from his precious boat. Edvin stayed however, scuffing his shoe in the dirt, and so did Lydia. Neither of them attempted to speak, content to be in other's company in silence.

Edvin didn't know how long he stood there before he heard Ingvar shouting his name. He looked over and saw Ingvar was waving him over to the group huddle and Edvin knew it was time. It was now or never. 

“Hey, uh, I just wanted to give you this.” Edvin thrust his clenched hand towards Lydia and she took the item from his hand gingerly. She was now holding a dark gray, slightly lumpy, knit cap that had a blazing white heron on the front. Her face softened as she realized it was an exact match of the ones Thorn and Karina had on their heads as they screamed at the last match. He’d made a famed heron hat for her.

The gesture touched her and Lydia stuck it firmly on her head. Edvin looked at her with a smile and then frowned a little. 

“Wait, you have it on crooked. May I?”

The invitation was open ended, but Lydia knew what he was going to do. 

His hands reached out and straightened the hat knitted with care. As Edvin was straightening it, his hand brushed up against a strand of hair. The touch sent a flurry of shivers down Lydia's spine. 

“Take ‘em down.”

“Only for you.”

On impulse, Lydia darted forward and pressed her lips to Edvin's soft cheek. As quickly as it started, it was over.

"A kiss for good luck." Lydia melted into the crowd and unlike the last time Lydia had kissed his cheek and left, Edvin felt like he could have swam in the race and beaten Tursgurd's boat. Edvin could have paddled the Heron himself down the river. Now there was no way they wouldn't win.  
~  
It's twenty minutes until the race and they're supposed to be gathered around the Heron, but Hal hadn't yet unveiled their beloved boat. No one besides Stig and Hal had seen the completed Heron. The two boys had taken the figurehead Ulf and Jesper had carved yesterday and attached it on as part of their "complete appearance overhaul" that Stig had deemed necessary to intimidate the Sharks. 

"Behold, the Skandia State Heron or, as I like to call her, the S.S. Heron." Stefan would have groaned at the pun, but he was too entranced by the Heron. They all were.

The S.S. Heron was now painted a sea green color and had a smoothly carved heron head attached to prow. It was a long way from the sad scene of rough planks in the engineering building all those months ago. The boat was simple and beautiful and the fruit of Hal's labors and- and- it was exactly the boat that would carry them to victory. 

With small tears in his eyes, Hal gripped Ingvar's broad shoulders, who then reached out and grabbed Stefan's. The Herons formed an unbreakable chain and leaned in close. This was it: the final chance to win the brotherband competition. Silence washed over the group and all the jokes they had made during the year died on their tongues. Victory was within their reach and it was serious now. Edvin looked at his brother's faces and he couldn't help but think of the night they decided to track down the Andomal. They had barely known each other and yet the Herons had accomplished the impossible. Now it was time to do it again.  
~  
The Herons clamber onto the Heron and as soon as his feet hit the wooden boards, the world crystallizes and Edvin can only focus on the race. This is just like any other sailing competition except it isn't. This race feels more monumental and it takes a few seconds for everyone to adjust to the feeling. Hal stood at the rudder and stoically turned to face his opposite counterpart. 

Tursgurd presumably said something nasty, his mouth is moving after all, but Edvin doesn't hear anything right now. There is only soft silence that is amping him up until he hears from the crowd, a piercingly loud roar. 

"Get 'em Edvin! Eat the Sharks up!" It's Lydia and if Edvin thought he was amped up already, he was wrong. The next thing he even vaguely hears is Erak squawking on the bullhorn and then muscle memory takes over for all the Herons, They were built for this.  
~  
It’s the most stressful moment of Edvin’s life and for the first half of the competition, all he hears is the voice of his brothers around him. Hal’s commands, Stig’s words of affirmation, even Wulf and Ulf’s jokes that are slightly strained from rowing too hard, are the only things Edvin hears. They're behind Tursgurd until they aren't and that's when everything changes. Victory is in their grasp.

Edvin hears and sees nothing except the water and the wooden frame of the Heron until Hal screams “1,000 meters!” and suddenly his senses are in overdrive like never before. He swears he can hear each one of his friend's breaths and can see the individual grains of the wood. 

Tursgurd is behind them by a few meters, too close for comfort, but suddenly Ingvar gives a groan and the Heron is practically flying now over the water. It’s like Ingvar’s rowing with the strength of five rowers. That extra burst of energy gives Edvin all the determination he needs. His paddle churns up the lake water and he vaguely hears Hal's yelling until he doesn't and there's silence until a veritable roar overwhelms Edvin. Edvin numbly looks back and sees Tursgurd and the Sharks flowing over the limp finish line ribbon floating in the water, the ribbon that the Herons had broken a minute before. 

The Herons barely have time to react or even get out of the boat and comprehend the trophy being shoved in their hands before they see Thorn, Karina, and Lydia racing towards them. Tecumsa and Kloof are there as well to tackle them into a giant mass of flailing arms and legs. 

From the midst of the mass, someone grabs Edvin's arm and pulls him out. It's Lydia and the Heron hat sits crooked on top of her braid and she's never seemed more beautiful to Edvin than now. 

"You got 'em." Her eyes sparkle and Edvin knows exactly what he has to do. 

Without thinking about it for another second, he leans in and presses his mouth against Lydia's. Immediately she softens and kisses him back. Edvin can't think the entire time Lydia is against him, he's only focused on her and from the look on her face as they pulled apart, she had felt the same way. 

"Only for you." Edvin whispers the words as she clutches his head and brushes some of his salty curls away. This causes him to kiss her again and this time when they pull apart, they're met with cheers and wolf whistles from the crowd around them. 

"It's about time!" shouted Wulf and Lydia took the opportunity to dip Edvin back into another kiss. He came up flustered and Stig slapped him on the back before Tecumsa dipped Stig down in a passionate kiss. 

No other day was ever going to top today, Edvin decided, and looking around at his joyous friends and family, confetti all around them, he knew the other Herons felt the same.  
~  
Edvin and Lydia were sitting on the library patio, waiting for the barista to bring them their drinks. As they waited, they held hands and Edvin flipped through one of his textbooks idly. Finals were over and he was merely wasting time until President Erak kicked them out of the dorm apartments tonight. Goodbyes had already been said and it was just a matter of waiting. 

A ping sounded from Lydia's phone and she picked it, smiling as she saw the text from Nina and Tecumsa's response to it. The barista came a set down their two cups and Edvin noticed that she had brought them two cups of tea. 

"We didn't order two teas-" Edvin tried to get the barista to come back, but Lydia pulled his hand down. 

"She got it right. I got a green tea." That was not what Edvin was expecting Lydia to say. 

"Wait, Lydia, I thought you only drank coffee?" He had only seen her drinking a variety of increasingly sweet coffee concoctions. 

Lydia shook her head. "Nope, I'm a tea drinker. Had to work up to it, but now I can actually drink a straight cup of tea without any coffee in it."

Edvin spit out his own tea. Was that what she was trying to do by pouring the tea into her coffee all those months ago? The thought was all around intimidating and crazy, but Edvin had to admire anyone who set their mind to drink tea by working to it in the worst way possible.

"Why?"

The look Lydia gave him was almost comical. "Remember the first time we got coffee? 

The shirt stain had been impossible to get out so Edvin remembered that day quite vividly. "Yes…"

"You told me drinking coffee was bad for you and you preferred tea, so..." Lydia gestured to her tea cup. "I started training myself to like tea." 

A smile grew on Edvin's face. "You made yourself like tea because of something I said." 

"It was actually to impress you and I realize I should not have said that." Twin flowers bloomed on Lydia's face. She clearly regretted her choice of words. Edvin grinned at his girlfriend's adorable fluster.

"Gilan and Will and Halt gave me soooo much flack for trying to drink tea." Having seen the trio at Thanksgiving, Edvin could believe it. The Araluen professors had been obsessive about their coffee. 

"You don't have to drink tea to impress me."

Immediately Lydia poured her cup of tea into the grass. "Oh thank Ullr. Coffee is infinitely superior to tea and now I don't have to impress you."

He decides to tease her a little. "Really? You don't care about your reduced caffeine intake? Or breaking up because I'm no longer impressed by your superb tea drinking talents?"

Lydia shot him a withering look that had no heat to it. "Considering you're already my boyfriend, I'll take my chances."

Edvin smiled as he flagged down the barista and asked for a large black coffee. "Well, as your boyfriend, I'd say your chances are pretty good of continuing to impress me." That line made Lydia lean forward and kiss him on the cheek. 

"You're lucky you're cute. Come on, we're going to lose all the good light in the preserve if we keep dawdling." 

"You aren't going to shoot the deer this time, are you?" 

Lydia laughed and it sent Edvin's heart soaring. "I gave that presentation ages ago. No, I just want to be in the place we met, exactly a year later." Because when one thought about it, their whole relationship and friendship and Lydia's adoption into Skandia State antics had all started in the nature preserve one year ago. 

And what a year it had been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're done!


End file.
